Nordic combined was dominated by three countries at Milan Cortina 2026 as only Norway, Austria and Finland earned medals in the sport. Norway won the gold medal in all three Nordic combined events behind Jens Luraas Oftebro.

Luraas Oftebro and Austrian Johannes Lamparter appeared on the podium in all three Nordic combined events, going 1-2 in both individual events. Lamparter was hungry for gold after he the podium at every event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, even after medal favorites were unable to compete due to positive COVID-19 tests.

Luraas Oftebro competed alongside his older brother, Einar Luraas Oftebro, as two sets of siblings headlined the competition. The Oftebros, known for their strong cross-country skiing, were opposed by Austrian brothers Stefan and Thomas Rettenegger, who excel at ski jumping.

Germans Vinzenz Geiger, Johannes Rydzek and Julian Schmid were expected to bring the heat but finished 5th at best, tempered by the thick, powdery snow.

RESULTS | REPLAYS

Nordic combined opened with Jens Luraas Oftebro making history. He broke Norway's 28-year Olympic Nordic combined gold medal drought when he streaked to the finish line to claim the Olympic title in Nordic combined men's individual normal hill. Lamparter raced him to the finish line, but Luraas Oftebro was able to maintain the slight lead he had entering the final sprint.

Finland's Eero Hirvonen broke away from the chase group for the bronze, just 1.5 seconds behind Lamparter.

The top-ranked athletes after the ski jumping segment, Estonian Kristjan Ilves, Thomas Rettenegger, and Japan's Ryota Yamamoto lost their leads quickly and finished 6th, 9th and 15th, respectively.

Geiger, who was the defending Olympic gold medalist, ended in 10th.

RESULTS | SKI JUMP REPLAY | 10KM RACE REPLAY

Nordic Combined Individual Normal Hill Medalists
🥇Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR)
🥈Johannes Lamparter (AUT)
🥉Eero Hirvonen (FIN)

Jens Luraas Oftebro impressed Tesero when he breezed to the cross-country finish line in the individual large hill, collecting yet another Olympic title.

Lamparter was leading the first half of the race until Luraas Oftebro enacted his signature surge during the penultimate climb. He sprinted up the hill so quickly that Lamparter agreed it was almost as impressive as watching storied Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo shoot uphill at a blistering pace. Lamparter finished 2nd, nearly six seconds behind Luraas Oftebro.

Finland claimed bronze once more, this time led by Ilkka Herola, who glided across the finish line in 3rd, almost half a minute before the next closest competitor.

RESULTS | SKI JUMP REPLAY | 10KM RACE REPLAY

Nordic Combined Team Large Hill Medalists
🥇Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR)
🥈Johannes Lamparter (AUT)
🥉Ilkka Herola (FIN)

Heavy snowfall challenged athletes in the inaugural Olympic men's team large hill contest, which included a 2x7.5km relay where athletes needed to strategize alternating 1.5km laps with recovery periods as opposed to the 10km races in the individual races.

The shorter sprints didn't affect Luraas Oftebro, who managed to slightly pull ahead in the final sprint and, alongside teammate Andreas Skoglund, win his third consecutive Olympic gold. In doing so, Luraas Oftebro swept the Nordic combined events at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The weather was a storyline of its own. With powdery conditions, athletes struggled to maintain speed and balance. Fresh snow came up to competitors' boots in some areas. Multiple athletes crashed, including Geiger, who collided with Yamamoto. He recovered quickly but fell again just a few feet later. Just one lap later, Stefan Rettenegger fell in what appeared to be the same area. Even Luraas Oftebro lost his balance turning around the final bend to the finish line, although he managed to hold on. He was head-to-head with Hirvonen entering the final sprint but slightly powered ahead to take gold. Hirvonen earned Olympic silver with his partner, Herola.

Despite his fall, Rettenegger claimed bronze as Lamparter's teammate.

The team event closed out four-time Olympic medalist Akito Watabe's sixth and final Olympics. The Japanese athlete plans to retire at the end of the season after competing in the last World Cup events in March. Watabe finished 6th in the mixed team large hill alongside teammate Yamamoto.

RESULTS | SKI JUMP REPLAY | 2x7.5KM RACE REPLAY

Nordic Combined Team Large Hill Medalists
🥇Norway (Jens Luraas Oftebro and Andreas Skoglund)
🥈Finland (Eero Hirvonen and Ilkka Herola)
🥉Austria (Johannes Lamparter and Stefan Rettenegger)