2026 Olympic Games | Nordic combined: “Two gold medals is incredible”, says a delighted Jens Luraas Oftebro
Second Olympic title in two races for Nordic combined Jens Luraas Oftebro. The Norwegian won the gundersen on the big hill on Tuesday. After the race, he spoke about his performance: “It was my best jump here, on the big hill, and I got a very good place for cross-country skiing,” he told NRK. It was hard, I tried to make a difference, but I couldn’t. Then I wanted to try again. Then I wanted to try again in the last two climbs, and that’s when it really worked. Two gold medals is incredible .
In the second lap, a trio emerged from the race. Jens Luraas Oftebro was in the company of number 2, Johannes Lamparter, and Finland’s Ilkka Herola. The Austrian overall leader has no regrets with money around his neck: “Jens [Luraas Oftebro] was too strong on the last lap. He went incredibly fast and I couldn’t keep up with him. I’d just like to congratulate him ,” he declared.
“I congratulated him and told him he deserved this medal”.Eero Hirvonen
Third-placed Ilkka Herola couldn’t keep up with the acceleration of the double Olympic champion either. On the last lap, he suffered: “I have the taste of blood in my mouth,” he says. On the last lap, I said to myself that I must be running out of oxygen to my brain. I was pretty confused.
In spite of everything, he won his first Olympic medal, a feeling that his compatriot Eero Hirvonen experienced last week. ” I congratulated him and told him he deserved the medal ,” he explained.
Second Norwegian of the race, Aleksander Skoglund looks back on the very complicated Tesero track. “It was very difficult on the track, really hard. I tried to get back on Lamparter and I could have done with a bit of help, but I didn’t get any,” confided the fourth-placed rider. It’s even more complicated when you feel someone overtaking you and the pace gets too high.
