Lajunen wins third Nordic combined gold; Lodwick fifth
As much as he'd rather avoid the subject, Samppa Lajunen's run toward Olympic gold began last April, when the great Bjarte Engen Vik of Norway suddenly announced his retirement.

Finn nears sweep of nordic combined

Nordic combined: Men's 7.5 kilometer sprint results

About Nordic combined:    Schedule/results    Nordic combined photos

Nordic combined One of the "old men" of winter sports, Nordic combined is often overlooked by American Olympic audiences - yet embraced in Europe and the Far East. Nordic combined is sometimes called "the decathlon of skiing", blending two ancient ski sports - jumping and cross country - into one competition.

Nordic combined primer This discipline blends two nordic sports — jumping and cross country — into one event.

Up close: Nordic combined A nordic combined athlete must have the explosive power of a ski jumper and the endurance of a cross-country racer.

Olympic schedules: Nordic combined

Olympic highlights

Utah connections

Nordic combined medalists in Nagano