Norwegian shows pre-Olympic form – delivers a superb race

Norwegian Nordic combined athlete Jens Lurås Oftebro (25) was only fractions away from victory in Saturday’s competition after a blistering performance on the cross‑country course.

After the ski jumping round, Oftebro trailed Austria’s Thomas Rettenegger by 1 minute and 17 seconds following an 88.5‑meter jump that still left him well placed for the ski leg. During the 10 km cross‑country race he quickly began cutting into the deficit together with a group of strong chasers.

With two kilometers to go the Austrian leader was caught. In the final stretch, Oftebro and Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger pulled clear to fight for the win, but Geiger had the stronger sprint and took the victory, leaving Oftebro in second place.

The podium is Oftebro’s second of the season and comes on the back of a runner‑up finish on Friday, underscoring his excellent form roughly a month and a half before the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Nordic combined at the Olympics will be held in Val di Fiemme alongside cross‑country skiing and ski jumping, with the first medals in the discipline to be awarded on Wednesday, 11 February.