Olympics Nordic Combined Normal Hill/10km medal results, highlights
By Zach Bigalke
Eric Frenzel repeated as Olympic gold medalist. Akito Watabe once again came up short in the Olympic Normal Hill/10km Gundersen. Here are the details.
The first of three Nordic combined events played out much as it did in Sochi four years ago. German skier Eric Frenzel overcame a 38-second deficit after the ski jump on the normal hill to win after 10 kilometers of skiing. After a down season on the FIS World Cup circuit, Frenzel rebounded at just the right time.
For Akito Watabe, the skier at the top of the FIS World Cup standings, it was yet another Olympiad of falling just short in Nordic combined. Watabe was third coming out of the ski jump portion of the Nordic combined, but he could not hold off the hard-charging Frenzel. Much like it played out four years ago in Russia, Watabe was forced to settle for silver.
Frenzel and Watabe were side-by-side heading into the final hill. Watabe had the lead, but he effectively played the part of the rabbit being chased. The German proved stronger on the climb, passing his Japanese counterpart and once again snatching the top step of the Olympic podium.
MEDAL RESULT | Nordic Combined: NH/10km Gundersen
Eric Frenzel
Akito Watabe
Lukas Klapfer
The only difference with the podium between Sochi and Pyeongchang came on the last step. Four years ago, Norway’s Magnus Krog. This time around, it was Lukas Klapfer of Austria who snatched third place.
The Austrian slotted in just between Frenzel and Watabe in fourth after the ski jump. Klapfer overtook compatriot Franz-Josef Rehrl and Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber for the bronze. It was a tense finish for the bronze, as Klapfer, Riiber, and Germany’s Johannes Ryzdek battled for the final spot on the podium.
On the other hand, early leader Rehrl had a disaster of a 10km race. The Austrian opened the skiing portion of the Nordic combined with an advantage over every skier in the field. Rehrl put in a huge jump of 112 meters off the normal hill. But Rehrl faded hard as soon as he took to the cross-country course, bleeding away seconds and ultimately finishing in 13th place.
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