Nordic Combined Men Expect Tough, Slushy Skiing: "Feels More Like a Mass Start"

The Nordic combined men took part in the normal‑hill competition on Wednesday at the Olympic Games. The ski‑jumping portion was held in the morning, and the 10‑kilometre cross‑country race is scheduled to start at 14:45 Finnish time.

Finland's Ilkka Herola had shown very good jumping form in training, but in competition he was not quite at his best. His jump was not bad, but the landing failed.

“Unfortunately the style points stayed low. The landing has been difficult for Ilkka. It looked ugly and there was a bit of wobbling,” Yle expert Tommi Nikunen assessed.

Herola will start on the course 32 seconds behind the jump winner, Estonia's Kristjan Ilves, from ninth place. He is only 17 seconds behind Austria's Thomas Rettenegger in second.

Herola said he expected the ski leg to be like a mass start.

He admitted feeling nervous on race day.

“The first race has brought some extra thoughts. Even an old man has had some race nerves in the air today,” he said.

The Finn nonetheless thought the competition would not be decided by the jumping round. The time gaps are small and the skiing conditions are very demanding. Herola believes the contest is still wide open on the slushy tracks.

"It probably feels more like a mass start, where this time there is no jump component deciding everything. That's fine — we go out to challenge."

Herola predicted a calm start to the skiing because the race will be long. He also said pack tactics will be of little help in knee‑deep slush.

"Your own pace. You shouldn't go crazy on the first lap."

Hirvonen also fed off the nerves

Four seconds after Herola, Eero Hirvonen will start, having jumped in very poor wind conditions. He had jumped 97.5 metres in training but was 1.5 metres shorter in competition. Still, he was satisfied.

“There's been big dispersion in those jumps. In those two training days there has always been one slightly better jump. You have to be happy — I guess that's probably the best normal‑hill jumping I've done this season,” he said.

Hirvonen also spoke about the nervousness, which clearly produced a positive result for him.

"It's fun to compete when you're nervous. Rarely do you get that feeling when you start a World Cup from 25th. It's not quite the same feeling as on a day like this."

Wille Karhumaa, who made the Olympic field thanks to Finland's extra slot, was very disappointed with his jump. He shook his head after the effort. He will start 21st, 1:19 behind the leader.

“Worst jump of the whole trip. Certainly nerves. I pulled over the bar at take‑off. It annoys but what can you do,” he said.

Karhumaa also regretted a failed landing. He had tried to get every extra metre in the flight but today it did not pay off.

He was skeptical about the skiing leg and feared injuries if the tracks remain as slushy as the previous day.

“My skiing form has been a bit of a question mark. A bit scary, but what can you do. We'll go fight."

Here are the start positions from the normal‑hill jump for the 10 km race: jump winner Kristjan Ilves (EST) will lead, Thomas Rettenegger (AUT) second, with Ilkka Herola (FIN) starting 32 seconds behind and Eero Hirvonen (FIN) four seconds later. Wille Karhumaa (FIN) will start from 21st, 1:19 behind the leader.

(Reporting by Topias Peltonen and Laura Arffman / Yle)