Riiber-less Norway wins gold in Nordic combined team event

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Norway’s Joergen Graabak celebrates as he nears the finish line during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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France’s Gael Blondeau, left, and Taylor Fletcher compete during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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Norway’s Joergen Graabak celebrates with teammates after crossing the finish line during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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Austria’s Franz-Josef Rehrl competes during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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Norway’s Espen Bjoernstad competes during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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Franz-Josef Rehrl, of Austria, celebrates after his jump during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping competition round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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Ryota Yamamoto, of Japan, reacts after his jump during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping competition round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Taylor Fletcher, of the United States, reacts after his jump during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping competition round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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Spectators cheer soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping competition round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Ryota Yamamoto, of Japan, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Tomas Portyk, of the Czech Republic, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Vinzenz Geiger, of Germany, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Guo Yuhao, of China, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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People watch the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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Joergen Graabak, of Norway, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Zhao Zihe, of China, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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A forerunner soars through the air before the start of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Snow covers the padding surrounding the ski area at Zhangjiakou National Ski Jumping Centre during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping competition round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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Taylor Fletcher competes during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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China’s Fan Haibin crosses the finish line during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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From left, silver medal finishers Germany, gold medal finishers Norway and bronze medal finishers Japan pose during a venue ceremony after the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger competes during the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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A Bing Dwen Dwen award was placed by silver medal finishers Germany for their missing teammate during a venue ceremony after the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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From left, Norway’s Espen Bjoernstad, Espen Andersen, Jens Luraas Oftebro and Joergen Graabak celebrate a gold medal finish during a venue ceremony after the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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China’s Zhao Jiawen, left, greets China’s Fan Haibin at the finish line after the cross-country skiing competition of the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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Fan Haibin, of China, soars through the air during the team Gundersen large hill/4x5km ski jumping trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

By Larry Lage

ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Norway won Olympic gold in the Nordic combined team competition on Thursday, overcoming the COVID-related loss of Jarl Magnus Riiber.

The team of four-time Olympic gold medalist Joergen Graabak, Jens Luraas Oftebro, Espen Bjoernstad and Espen Andersen pulled away late in the cross-country race, winning by 54.9 seconds.

“It was actually possible to enjoy the last kilometers and just savor the moment,” said Graabak, who was the final Norwegian skier.

It was an impressive result after Riiber, a three-time champion, chose to go home earlier in the day because he didn’t feel fit to compete.

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“Jarl texted me quite soon after the race (Tuesday) and he told me to get ready,” Bjoernstad said.

Riiber took the wrong turn early in a 10K cross-country race and lost a large lead he earned in ski jumping on Tuesday, a day after getting out of COVID isolation. That mistake helped Graabak win gold, making him the first two-time Nordic combined Olympic champion on the large hill after winning the event in 2014.

Graabak also helped Norway win the team event eight years ago and with another first-place finish, he’s the first to win four Olympic gold meals in the sport that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing.

Germany won silver, giving Eric Frenzel a seventh Olympic medal in Nordic combined to match the record set by Austrian great Felix Gottwald.

Frenzel had only one day to train for the final Nordic combined event of the 2022 Olympics because he was in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in China.

“It was a long time and it’s a good feeling to be back,” he said.

The Germans’ performance also gave Vinzenz Geiger more hardware to go with the gold he won on the normal hill at the Beijing Games.

Japan finished third, getting an Olympic medal in a Nordic combined competition for the first time since winning gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.

“We were working hard in the last four years,” said Akito Watabe, who won bronze on the normal hill.

Austria could not keep the eight-second lead it earned in ski jumping, or the advantage it had on the cross-country course midway through the race and finished fourth. The traditional power failed to medal for the first time since 1994.

“It hurts a little bit now, but life goes on,” said Johannes Lamparter, the top-ranked Nordic combined skier.

Austria’s jumpers combined for 475.4 points earlier in the day thanks to jaw-dropping distances, including one that went 141 meters (463 feet), and graceful style through the air. That gave them the lead for the cross-country ski race with four skiers racing 5K each.

Norway’s four-man team started second, followed closely by Germany and Japan.

Franz-Josef Rehrl helped Austria start strong, turning an eight-second lead into 19 seconds at the 2.5K mark.

Manuel Faisst of Germany, who replaced Terence Weber after he tested positive for COVID-19 and didn’t recover quickly, rallied to put his team in the lead at the first exchange five kilometers into the 20K race. Lamparter gave Austria a slim lead at the midway mark and teammate Lukas Greiderer maintained it before the Norwegians took over.

Graabak closed with a strong performance over the final five kilometers to put Norway on the top spot on the podium, inspired to bring home gold for Riiber.

“Coming in as a backup for Jarl and not sure if I was able to be on the team, and standing here now being an Olympic champion, it’s emotional just talking about it,” Bjoernstad said.

The United States finished sixth in the 10-team event with four-time Olympian Taylor Fletcher starting strong and Ben Loomis, Jasper Good and Jared Shumate putting together solid performances on the cross-country course.

“I’m excited to see what the guys are going to do in the future,” the 31-year-old Fletcher said. “It’s crazy to think that this will be the last time I will be putting on an Olympic bib, unless I get some stupid idea to come back in four years.”

China’s young and inexperienced team included two skiers who competed on a major, international circuit for the first time this season.

“Our team is bringing more glory to our nation,” 17-year-old Haibin Fan, who competed with a trio of 21-year-old teammates, said through an interpreter.

The Chinese team had to wait more than six minutes to start the race and finished last, nearly 14 minutes behind Norway.

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Follow Larry Lage at https://twitter.com/larrylage

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