'Best feeling ever' - Riiber pips Oftebro in stunning Compact to equal Worlds medal record
Mar 01, 2025·Nordic Combined
Jarl Magnus Riiber’s fairytale farewell to major competition gathered further pace as he equalled the Nordic Combined record for individual World Championship medals by leading a Norwegian one-two in a thrilling finish to the Compact race in Trondheim.
The 27-year-old, who is retiring at the end of the season, already had the most World golds by a Nordic Combined athlete, picking up his ninth in Friday’s Mixed Team event and his 10th here to take his overall medal tally to 13, with seven of those in Team competitions.
His sixth individual medal - five golds and one silver - saw him match the previous record of German Ronny Ackermann (who won four gold, one silver and a bronze from 2001 to 2007), and he will have a chance to set a new mark next Saturday, 8 March, in the large hill Gundersen.
After edging a remarkable final sprint with compatriot Jens Luraas Oftebro, who took silver, in front of another capacity crowd at the Granåsen Ski Centre, an emotional Riiber let out a roar of celebration as he raised his hands aloft in triumph.
“I have trained so hard…I am speechless,” he said initially as he fought back tears. “With the home crowd, knowing it was my last one…it is amazing.”
Riiber had earlier jumped further than anyone - 103.5 meters - on the HS102 normal hill to post 150.8 points, pipping another excellent jump from Ryota Yamamoto (JPN).
But with fixed time intervals in the Compact format, his main rivals all started between 12 and 50 seconds back in the cross-country to ensure a ferocious medal fight in the tracks.
“I felt quite bad at the front all alone, it was hard to have the group behind,” Riiber said. "There was so much wind everywhere and I felt I was not able to get into the groove.
“But suddenly I felt much better and it is always safer to have Jens (Oftebro) around. I know he is always going for it, at full speed, and he took me down the tracks with him.
“I was a little bit unsure because I wanted the first position going into the final corner but at least I knew what I had to do if I didn’t get it. I have trained so much to get the perfect corner and the right speed out of it, and it was perfect."
Oftebro said he didn’t consider himself to be in medal contention when he started the cross-country in 16th place, 50 seconds behind, but decided to “just go as hard as possible”.
The strongest skier across the World Cup season came within a whisker of completing an astonishing victory as he led Riiber going into the finish before a dramatic last twist.
“I am really satisfied with my silver even though I didn’t do the best last corner in the sprint, but I had a lot of lactate so Jarl was a bit stronger,” said Oftebro, who won a third individual World medal - after a bronze in 2021 and silver on the large hill in 2023 - to go with four Team golds.
"Of course it would be amazing to win gold, but I will try to do that next Saturday. It was a crazy race and this is a day I will never forget. It is super nice to have gold and silver.”
Vinzenz Geiger (GER), who has won six World Cup events this season, had to settle for bronze, his first individual World Championship medal after four Team silvers, edging compatriot Julian Schmid into fourth with Johannes Lamparter (AUT) fifth.
“It was a very exciting race, the victory was very near but I am very happy with the bronze medal,” said Geiger. “We did some great work but the Norwegians were a little bit better. Hopefully we will fight back next week.”
Medal fight goes down to wire
Schmid, starting 12 seconds behind, made a fast start and caught Yamamoto in the first kilometer, with Lamparter and Geiger also fighting hard to close the gap.
A surging Schmid attacked at the start of the second 2.5km loop, surging right up behind Riiber, with Geiger, Lamparter and Yamamoto all within five seconds in a front group of five.
Oftebro had gained 30 seconds by the halfway point and continued to put the hammer down, remarkably joining the leading group as they approached the end of the second loop.
After 5km of the 7.5km, Riiber and Geiger were locked together at the front, with Oftebro, Schmid and Lamparter on their heels.
As 25,000 spectators – in the arena and lining the forest tracks – waved flags and cheered on their favourites, Schmid hit the front with just over a kilometer left, with the four other leaders all within a second.
Joergen Graabak, a Trondheim local, briefly joined the leading group but couldn’t live with the scorching pace, dropping back in the final kilometer to finish sixth.
With 500m left, Oftebro went to the front as they entered the arena approaching the finish, with Riiber right in his slipstream.
Incredibly, as they rounded the final bend, Riiber (right, below) used all his experience to take the outside line and maintain his speed as he accelerated out of the corner past his younger compatriot, who had to check slightly.
He powered on to win by just a few strides in 17:13.4, 0.8 seconds ahead of Oftebro, with Geiger taking bronze 1.1 seconds back.
Earlier on the HS102 hill, 36-year-old Akito Watabe (JPN), a five-time World medallist competing at a remarkable 10th World Championships, became the first man to go over 100m, his 100.5-meter jump setting a new target of 137.3 points.
Frenchman Laurent Muhlethaler briefly took over with an excellent 99.5m jump for 139.0 points, before Yamamoto (below) matched that distance with another stylish jump – as he did on Friday in the Mixed Team event – to set a challenging mark of 143.9 after earning four 19s and one 18.5 score from the judges.
Graabak raised the noise levels with a 98.5m jump for 138.2 points while Austrian duo Franz-Josef Rehrl (101.5m for 136.5 points) and Martin Fritz (100.5m for 141.2) also went long before the final big four took to the hill.
Lamparter put himself in contention despite a slightly heavy landing to his 103.0m jump to score 141.5 points before Schmid’s 102.0m earned him 141.8.
Geiger was close behind with 140 points from 101.5m but Riiber, going last and dropping a start gate from 23 to 22, soared out to 103.5m for 150.8 points.
“I knew it didn’t matter how far I went today, I just had to get over the green line – that was the most important task,” he said. “I was nervous on the top – there are a lot of people here – but I am happy I was able to produce that jump and get the lead.”
His four main rivals might have caught him in the tracks, but couldn't shake him off as the remarkable Riiber still had the last word.
Click here for full results from Saturday’s Compact.
