WinterSports2002.com - Olympic highlights

WinterSports2002.com, Wednesday, October 31, 2001

Olympic highlights

1. FALLING INTO OLYMPIC OBSCURITY: During the last half of the 19th century and early in the 20th, nordic combined was considered the premier event at winter ski carnivals. However, specialization in sports resulted in the individual competitions - the jumping and the cross country skiing - first gaining equal status with the nordic combined and eventually passing it in popularity and prestige.

2. NORWAY HAS ITS WAY: The "nordic combined" name should be a clue when one sees Norway's early domination in the event. Norway swept all 12 medals in the first four Winter Olympics (1924-1936) and then took top honors in 1952, 1956 and 1964. In other worlds, seven Norwegian gold medals in the first eight Olympics. The victory at the 1952 Oslo Games was particularly sweet - it came in front of the home-country crowds and atoned for a poor national showing at the 1948 St. Moritz Games.

3. ULRICH'S RICH WITH GOLD: East Germany's Ulrich Wehling was a three-time Olympic champion in nordic combined, outdistancing the field at the 1972 Sapporo Games, the 1976 Innsbruck Games and the 1980 Lake Place games. The East German became the first non-figure skate to win three consecutive times in the same Winter Olympic event.

4. JUMPING FOR JAPAN: Thanks to an overwhelming lead after the initial jumping portions of competition, Japan earned the team nordic combined gold at both the 1992 Albertville Games and the 1994 Lillehammer Games. The team's lopsided scoring in the jumping resulted in Japan having headstarts of six and five minutes ahead of eventual runner-up Norway in the two Winter Olympics. Keni Ogiwara and Takanori Kono were members of the three-man winning squads.

5. NORWAY RETURNS TO WINNING WAYS: At the 1998 Nagano Games, Norway enjoyed a two-event sweep of the gold, winning the individual and team nordic combined competitions. Bjarte Engen Vik won the individual gold and joined three teammates in ending Japan's two-time string of triumphs in the team event.

6. TOP TWO FINNISH: Norway claimed the first 12 medals awarded in nordic combined competition, with the Norwegians enjoying four sweeps in the first four Olympics. However, Finland broke the streak at the 1948 St. Moritz Games as Heikki Hasu and Finnish teammate Martti Huhtala won the gold and silver, respectively. Norway didn't have a finisher place among the top five that year.

7. A CLOSE COMING-OUT: Team competition in nordic combined debuted at the 1988 Calgary Games, and the first contest ended up remaining as the closest in Olympic history. Germany enjoyed a first-day lead following the jumping portion, with Austria second and Switzeland sixth. Austria raced out to an early lead in the cross country competition, but the West Germans rallied to regain the lead and hold off the Swiss, who finished in second just 3.4 seconds behind.

8. DOUBLING UP: Norway's Johan Grottumsbaten was a double-delight in several ways. He won two golds in the nordic combined, claiming the top spots in the 1928 St. Moritz Games and the 1932 Lake Placid Games as well as the bronze at the 1924 Chamonix Games. His '28 gold was one of two he won that year - Grottumsbaten captured the gold in the 1,500-meter cross country race, having won the silver in the same event previously in 1924. The end result for his career - three golds, a silver and a bronze.

9. HOME-COUNTRY HEROES: With Norway, Finland, East Germany and Germany collecting all the previous gold medals in the individual nordic combined, France enjoyed a rare 1-2 finish at home in the 1992 Albertville Games. Fabrice Guy, one of the pre-event favorites, earned the gold, while teammate Sylvain Guillaume finished a surprising second for the silver medal.

10. AN OLYMPIC ORIGINAL: Although somewhat of an obscure sport by today's standards, nordic combined was one of the five sports contested at the inaugural Winter Olympics, the 1924 Chamonix Games.