JWSC: “Very special” Team Sprint gold for Finland

The first Nordic Combined competition day at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Lake Placid (USA) saw challenging conditions with heavy snowfall and strong winds forcing a delayed start for the nine participating teams.

Despite the weather, the competition unfolded with thrilling performances from the young athletes.

Finland took an early lead after the Ski Jumping portion on the MacKenzie Intervale HS100 hill, with Heta Hirvonen delivering the longest jump of the day at 81 meters and Minja Korhonen adding a solid 77-meter effort. Their combined score of 148 points secured them the top position heading into the 2x4.5km cross-country race.

Germany followed in second place, with Trine Goepfert (74.5 m) and Ronja Loh (64.5 m) accumulating 140.3 points, starting the race 10 seconds behind Finland.
Slovenia secured third place as Tia Malovrh (76 m) and Masa Likozar Brankovic (72.5 m) collected 129.4 points, beginning their race 25 seconds after the leaders.

The cross-country race, requiring each athlete to complete the 1.5km course three times while alternating laps with their teammate, saw Finland maintain its lead throughout. Minja Korhonen crossed the finish line first, securing the gold medal for Finland.

Brankovic of Slovenia finished 57.5 seconds behind, earning the silver medal, while Germany’s Goepfert claimed the bronze, reaching the finish 1:12.9 minutes behind the winners.

Finland’s commanding performance in both ski jumping and cross-country skiing established them as the dominant team on day one of the Nordic Combined competition, setting the stage for more exciting battles in the days ahead at Lake Placid.