Jens Luraas Oftebro begins Olympic legacy with second gold

Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR) was on a mission to take his second gold at Milano Cortina 2026 and begin his Olympic legacy which he did by sweeping past Johannes Lamparter (AUT) to win the Individual Gundersen Normal Hill/10km at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium on Tuesday.

Oftebro caught leader Lamparter before the halfway point and then made the push just after the 8.7km mark, quickly creating a gap big enough for him to cruise into the finish line.

Lamparter took his second silver of the Games behind Oftebro, with Finland’s Ilkka Herola managing to keep up with the top two for the majority of the race to take his first Olympic medal in his fourth Winter Games with bronze.

“It means a lot to win my second gold medal,” said Oftebro. “I had dreamed about one, but to win two is something very special.”

Oftebro, who placed fifth with a 132.5m jump and started the 10km race 22 seconds behind, admitted he had not expected to win the Large Hill event despite wanting to carry on compatriot Joergen Graabak’s golden legacy in this event.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit in the hill this year,” added Oftebro. “To do my best jump in the most important [competition], is something special.”

Having won the Cross-Country race 5.9 seconds ahead of Lamparter, Oftebro said it was an amazing feeling to win by a huge gap due to the conditions in the race: “I feel like every condition suits me, but today, it was easier to ski normally. So it was more what we are used to, but it was faster and a bit more difficult to get the gaps.”

Lamparter was happy with his second silver of Milano Cortina as he said: “It’s not everyday you win a medal, so I’m really really proud of myself.

“I did a really good job on the hill and in the end Jens was a bit too fast and strong for me in the last lap so still satisfied with silver.

“He is probably the fastest in all the track for all the athletes. I knew I could follow him and there is a peak opportunity I could beat him and I would go for it but he was too strong. I am really happy to be best of the rest.”

Herola said of winning his first Olympic medal at his fourth Winter Games: “It’s been a long time without a medal. It feels different than without.

“I was so tired that my only goal was to keep it together until the finish line. I knew I didn’t have anything [left] to fight against Jens and Johannes but they had their own game going on there. I was already very dead because I had to start so fast as well.”

At the start of the Cross-Country race, Lamparter immediately moved ahead of Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto who won the Ski Jumping round, starting only eight seconds behind, and quickly created a good gap ahead of the rest of the field.

After Oftebro caught him, Herola and Andreas Skoglund (NOR) also joined the leaders before Skoglund fell away in the second half of the race, eventually finishing the 10km in fourth, 41 seconds behind.

There were some big performances in the Large Hill at the Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium earlier in the day, as Skoglund had put himself into a good position in third, just 16 seconds behind. Despite looking dejected after his jump, Yamamoto won the round with a distance of 136.5m earning him 150 points. However, with the Cross-Country being his weaker area of the competition, he finished the race in 15th place.

Lamparter came in second with 148 points after his 136m jump, giving him a good start for the 10km race just eight seconds behind Yamamoto. After the jump Lamparter admitted he was pleased to have held his nerves better than he did at Beijing 2022.

Austria’s Thomas Rettenegger, the best jumper of the season, lost balance on his landing from his 137m jump, leaving him to start the Cross-Country 18 seconds off and clearly frustrated in fourth, before finishing the 10km in 11th.

His brother Stefan Rettenegger was also unhappy with his jump of 129m, which left him down in 11th place and starting 1:08 minutes behind, which he then made up to eighth in the 10km.

Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger, who has often been a threat in the Gundersen events at the World Cup, left himself too much to do with his 120.5m jump which left him far behind in 18th, with 1:43 minutes to make up, before finishing the race in ninth.

For results of the Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km click here. For the full Nordic Combined schedule for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games click here.