Jens Luraas Oftebro out to continue Graabak legacy

Olympic champion Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR) is hoping to claim his second gold of the Games and follow in the footsteps of his idol and compatriot Joergen Graabak in the Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km on Tuesday.

Grabaak won the event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games with a 13-year-old Oftebro cheering him on from the sofa.

Oftebro went on to compete against his hero in the event at Beijing 2022, where he finished runner-up, before teaming up with him to win the Gundersen Large Hill 4 x 5km. This helped Graabak claim his record fourth Olympic gold.  

“A lot had happened in eight years,” said Oftebro. “That was a very special moment. Now Joergen has retired, I need to continue his legacy.”

After winning the Individual Gundersen Normal Hill/10km at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium on Wednesday, the 25-year-old in-from Oftebro is ready to take the baton from Graabak.

“I’ve been dominating [competitions], but I haven’t won any individual gold medal until now,” Oftebro said. “It’s either been Jarl [Riiber, NOR], Joergen or someone else winning those gold medals.

“I’ve felt a bit of extra pressure this year, after they’ve retired. So it hasn’t been easy, but the way we’ve solved it in the past months after Christmas has been amazing.”

He will face plenty of competition, in particular from World Cup leader Johannes Lamparter (AUT), who finished just a second behind him in the Gundersen Normal Hill. Eero Hirvonen (FIN) was not too far behind in third and will likely want to go one or two better this time.

Jen’s Luraas Oftebro’s brother Einar Luraas, who has had to deal with several injury set-backs, will want to improve on his 12th-place finish in the Normal Hill from Wednesday, especially since he has had a few top-three finishes in the World Cup this season.

Austria’s Stefan Rettenegger, who just missed out on an Olympic medal in Wednesday’s Normal Hill but won the event at the Grand Prix at Val Di Fiemme in September, will also be hunting down a medal alongside his brother Thomas.

Much like Einar Luraas, Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger will want to make up from the disappointment on Wednesday after he finished in 10th place but had been enjoying good form in the World Cup coming into Milano Cortina.

However, Jens Luraas Oftebro will not only have the confidence of a first Milano Cortina gold under his belt, but also the advantage of gaining tips from the great Grabaak.

“Grabaak is so good in these conditions, so I tried to go like him,” said Oftebro. “He’s a really fast skier in loose conditions, he’s been an idol for me. 

“Now he’s a TV commentator and I had a ski [session] with him yesterday [Tuesday], so I got some tips. I’m happy that he’s here.”

For the full Nordic Combined schedule for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games click here.