Polar Bears Lead As Team Dominates Heart-Stirring Final
(L-R) Norway's second placed Ida Marie Hagen, Finland's winner Minja Korhonen and US' third placed Alexa Brabec celebrate after the Women's 5km Individual Gundersen of Nordic Combined at the FIS Nordic World Cup Lahti Ski Games. Petri Korteniemi/Lehtikuva/dpa World Cup champions Johannes Lamparter and Ida Maria Hagen wrapped up the Nordic combined skiing season in style on Sunday with victories in Oslo. Austrian Lamparter dominated the morning ski jump at the famed Holmenkollen venue and held on to the lead in the 10 kilometres cross-country pursuit for a sixth season victory.
"Oslo has been on my bucket list so I was really happy it worked out today. It was a perfect ending to an awesome season," he said. He won 31.
9 seconds ahead of triple Olympic champion Jens Lurås Oftebro, with the Norwegian's brother, Einar Lurås Oftebro, completing the podium in third ahead of Finland's Ilkka Herola. Multiple world and Olympic champion Johannes Rydzek of Germany, Japanese former world and World Cup champion Akito Watabe and Italian great Alessandro Pittin ended their careers and were sent into retirement with a special ceremony. Like Lamparter, Hagen had already clinched the World Cup title before the final race.
She rose from second after the jumping to first in the 5km race. She claimed a 12th season success, 41. 6 seconds ahead of Tara Geraghty-Moats, who claimed a photo-finish for second place against Finland's Minja Korhonen.
The Norwegian winner set a record of 11 individual victories in a women's season in the 14th and last event on home snow. "It means so much," she said. "Before my home competition I always have more emotions.