Riiber-less Norway wins gold in Nordic combined team event

(AP) - ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Norway won Olympic gold in the Nordic combined team competition after overcoming the COVID-related loss of Jarl Magnus Riiber.

The team led by four-time Olympic gold medalist Joergen Graabak pulled away late in the cross-country race to win by 54.9 seconds. It was an impressive result after Riiber went home earlier in the day.

Germany won silver for its sixth straight Olympic medal in the team event. Japan finished third. It was the country’s first Olympic medal in a Nordic combined competition since winning gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.

The United States finished sixth in the 10-team event with four-time Olympian Taylor Fletcher starting strong and Ben Loomis, Jasper Good and Jared Shumate putting together solid performances on the cross-country course.