Finland take Olympic silver in the Nordic combined team event at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games, narrowly missing gold as Norway edged ahead by just 0.5 seconds in a dramatic final sprint.
Ilkka Herola and Eero Hirvonen carried Finland to the podium in the large hill and 2×7.5km relay, keeping the contest open until the very last metres. On the final straight, Jens Lurås Oftebro broke ahead of Hirvonen in deep snow to secure Norway’s victory. Austria completed the podium, finishing 22.3 seconds behind the leaders. Finland’s result represents the nation’s third medal in Nordic combined at these Games.
The outcome hinged on the anchor leg, where Norway and Finland exchanged positions multiple times. Andreas Skoglund closed the gap to Herola before the final handover, sending Oftebro and Hirvonen into a side-by-side battle on the last lap.
Earlier, the race had been disrupted when Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger fell in soft snow and collided with Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto. That incident allowed Norway, Finland, and Austria to break away, while Italy dropped 24 seconds at one point, according to Finnish media updates.
Herola launched a decisive attack on the Zorzi climb, carving a small lead over Skoglund and keeping Finland within striking distance of gold entering the final exchange.
In the closing stretch, Hirvonen and Oftebro raced neck and neck. Hirvonen attempted to overtake on a less-tracked line but lost momentum in loose snow after a small rise. Oftebro held his speed and crossed the line first, leaving Finland with silver.
“It was perfectly skied from Eero,” former Finnish head coach Tommi Nikunen said on Yle. “He planned to come from behind into the descent. He knew he could generate speed for the finish, but the deep tracks after the bump made it impossible.”
Television footage captured Herola urging Hirvonen forward in the final metres. After Norway finished, Herola expressed his frustration. “It just was not enough,” he said.
The Games continue with the women’s figure skating free programme later in the day. Finland’s 17-year-old Iida Karhunen qualified for the final segment after placing 15th in the short programme. The women’s ice hockey final between the United States and Canada is also scheduled for the evening session.
Meanwhile, Finland’s cross-country squad in Val di Fiemme faced illness-related disruptions. Helsingin Sanomat reported that several athletes had been isolated in the team hotel. Coach Ville Oksanen confirmed the measures were taken to prevent further infections, emphasizing that the cases were unrelated to the norovirus circulating in the Olympic village.
“All is being done in a sensible way so that there are no further infections,” Oksanen said. He did not name the affected athletes due to medical privacy. Finland’s cross-country and Nordic combined athletes are housed outside the main village.
