Nordic combined

Not to be confused with Alpine combined, in which athletes compete in downhill and slalom ski racing.

Nordic combined

Highest governing body	International Ski Federation
First played	1892, Holmenkollen Ski Festival, Oslo
Characteristics
Team members	Individuals or groups
Mixed gender	no
Type	Skiing
Presence
Olympic	Since the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924

The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics and the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup are ongoing. There is no women's competition sanctioned by the International Ski Federation.

History

The first major competition was held in 1892 in Oslo at the first Holmenkollen ski jump. King Olav V of Norway was an able jumper and competed in the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in the 1920s. It was in the 1924 Winter Olympics, and has been on the programme ever since. Until the 1950s, the cross-country race was held first, followed by the ski jumping. This was reversed as the difference in the cross-country race tended to be too big to overcome in ski jumping. The sport has been dominated by the Norwegians, supported by the Finns. It was not until 1960 that the Nordic grip on this discipline was broken when West German Georg Thoma won the gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Competition

Formats and variations currently used in the World Cup are:

• Individual Gundersen: competition starts with one competition jump from a normal or large hill. Later on the same day, the 10 kilometre cross-country race takes place. The winner starts at 00:00:00 and all other athletes start with time disadvantages according to their jumping score. The first to cross the finish line is the winner. A variation of this is the Final Individual Gundersen, consisting of two jumps and 15 kilometres of cross-country skiing in free technique.

• Nordic Combined Triple: introduced in the 2013–14 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, it features three different events on three days and one overall winner who is awarded extra World Cup points and prize money:
  • Day 1: 1 jump & 5 km Prologue
  • Day 2: 1 jump & 10 km Individual Gundersen (Top 50 from Day 1's competition)
  • Day 3: 2 jumps & 15 km Final Individual Gundersen (Top 30 from Day 2's competition)

• Team Event: introduced in the 1980s, one team consists of four athletes who have one competition jump each. The total score of all four athletes determines the time disadvantages for the start of the ensuing 5 km cross-country race. The first team to cross the finish line wins.

• Team Sprint: teams consist of two athletes each. In the ski jumping part, every athlete makes one competition jump like in the Individual Gundersen or Team Event formats and the time behind for the start of the successive cross-country race. The team to arrive first at the finish line wins the competition.

Included in the rules but currently not used in World Cup:

• Penalty Race: instead adding a time disadvantage, distance is added to the cross-country part.
• Mass Start: the only format in which the cross-country part takes place before the ski jumping. All competitors start into a 10 kilometre cross-country race in free technique at the same time. The final cross-country times are then converted into points for the ski jumping part. The winner is determined in a points-based system.

Events in the Olympics are: the sprint K120 individual, ski jumping K90 (70m), and Team/4x5km.

Nordic Skiing Triple Crown Winners

Below is a list of Nordic skiers that have won at the Winter Olympics, FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and Holmenkollen events. Bold years indicate when a skier achieved all the three wins in the same year.

Men's Nordic combined including the 25km biathlon event

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Thorleif Haug	Norway	1924	1924	1919, 1920, 1921
Johan Grøttumsbråten	Norway	1928, 1932	1926, 1928, 1931, 1932	1923, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1931
Oddbjørn Hagen	Norway	1936	1934, 1935, 1936	1932, 1934, 1935
Heikki Hasu	Finland	1948	1948, 1950	1953
Simon Slåttvik	Norway	1952	1952	1948, 1950, 1951
Sverre Stenersen	Norway	1956	1954, 1956	1955, 1956, 1959
Georg Thoma	Federal Republic of Germany	1960	1960, 1966	1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
Tormod Knutsen	Norway	1964	1964	1958
Franz Keller	Federal Republic of Germany	1968	1968	1967
Ulrich Wehling	German Democratic Republic	1972, 1976, 1980	1972, 1974, 1976, 1980	1975, 1976, 1977
Bjarte Engen Vik	Norway	1998	1999, 2001	1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Jason Lamy-Chappuis	France	2010	2011	2007, 2010

Men's ski jump

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Birger Ruud	Norway	1932, 1936	1931, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1948	1932
Arnfinn Bergmann	Norway	1952	1952	1952
Antti Hyvärinen	Finland	1956	1956	1956
Helmut Recknagel	German Democratic Republic	1960	1960, 1962	1957, 1960
Toralf Engan	Norway	1964	1962, 1964	1962
Vladimir Beloussov	Soviet Union	1968	1968	1968, 1970
Karl Schnabl	Austria	1976	1976	1976
Anton Innauer	Austria	1980	1980	1975
Matti Nykänen	Finland	1984, 1988	1982	1982
Kazuyoshi Funaki	Japan	1998	1999	1997
Simon Ammann	Switzerland	2002, 2010	2007	2002, 2007

Men's 50 km

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Thorleif Haug	Norway	1924	1924	1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924
Nils Karlsson	Sweden	1948	1948	1947, 1951
Ole Ellefsæter	Norway	1968	1968	1967
Pål Tyldum	Norway	1972	1972	1969, 1972
Gunde Svan	Sweden	1988	1985, 1989	1986, 1990
Petter Northug	Norway	2010	2009, 2011	2010

Men's 18 km

Length shortened to 15 km in 1950

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Martin Lundström	Sweden	1948	1948	1948
Hallgeir Brenden	Norway	1952	1952	1952

Men's 15 km

Holmenkollen ran 1954-85 and 1994

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Hallgeir Brenden	Norway	1956	1956	1956
Eero Mäntyranta	Finland	1964	1964	1962, 1964, 1968
Harald Grønningen	Norway	1968	1968	1960, 1961
Gunde Svan	Sweden	1984	1989	1985

Women's 10 km

Holmenkollen ran 1954-86

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Ljubov Kozyreva	Soviet Union	1956	1954, 1956	1955
Klavdija Bojarskikh	Soviet Union	1964	1964, 1966	1965, 1966
Toini Gustafsson	Sweden	1968	1968	1960, 1967, 1968
Galina Kulakova	Soviet Union	1972	1972, 1974	1970, 1979
Raisa Smetanina	Soviet Union	1976	1976	1975

Women's 30 km

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Stefania Belmondo	Italy	1992	1993	1997, 2002

Women's 5 km

Olympic: 1964-98, FIS: 1963-99, Holmenkollen: 1966-91

Winner	Country	Winter Olympics	FIS Nordic World Ski Championships	Holmenkollen
Klavdija Bojarskikh	Soviet Union	1964	1964	1967
Helena Takalo	Finland	1976	1976, 1978	1976
Raisa Smetanina	Soviet Union	1980	1980	1975

Equipment

• Ski bindings: secure only the toe of the boot to the ski. In cross-country, it must be placed so that not more than 57% of the entire ski length is used as the front part. In jumping, a cord attaches the ski to the boot and prevents the wobbling of skis during flight.
• Ski boot
  • For jumping, a high-backed, flexible yet firm boots with a low cut at the front, designed to allow the skier to lean forward during flight.
  • For cross-country a skating boot is used.
• Ski suit and helmet
• Skis: jumping skis may have a length of a maximum 146% of the total body height of the competitor. Cross-country skis may be up to 2 meters long.
• Ski poles
• Ski wax: glide wax for speed is used in both types, and kick wax is used in cross-country.