Westvold Hansen beats Hagen to claim third straight World gold in Gundersen
Mar 02, 2025·Nordic Combined
Gyda Westvold Hansen outlasted Norwegian rival Ida Marie Hagen to claim a third successive World Championship Gundersen gold in the final women’s Nordic Combined event in Trondheim.
The 22-year-old, who won the inaugural individual event in Oberstdorf (GER) as an 18-year-old in 2021 before defending the title two years ago in Planica (SLO), had endured a difficult season and not won a World Cup event since February last year.
But after taking silver in Thursday’s Mass Start behind Yuna Kasai (JPN) and gold alongside Hagen in the Mixed Team event on Friday, Westvold Hansen’s return to top form was cemented with a brilliant late attack in her home tracks.
Having started the cross-country one minute and 12 seconds behind Ingrid Laate (NOR), the 17-year-old world junior champion who excelled on the hill, Westvold Hansen joined Hagen and Lisa Hirner (AUT) in a three-way medal fight as the trio passed Laate with around 1.5km of the 5km race remaining.
But it was Westvold Hansen, who missed the last round of World Cup events in Otepää (EST) to fine-tune her preparations for Trondheim, who surged clear on the final climb to open up a gap which allowed her to cruise into the Granåsen arena knowing victory was hers, raising her arms in triumph as she lapped up the acclaim of her home crowd.
It was Westvold Hansen’s fifth World gold - including two Team triumphs - and sixth medal overall, extending her women’s record and crowning a superb championships.
Hagen, who outsprinted Hirner in the race for silver to finish 6.6 seconds behind, collected her first individual World Championship medal, after finishing fourth two years ago in Planica and a lowly 10th in a Mass Start on the opening day in Trondheim.
“It felt like a team performance today and it was really fun,” said the 24-year-old (left, below).
It was also something of a surprise first World individual medal for Hirner, 21 (right, above), who rediscovered her jumping form from earlier in the season to celebrate a first podium since the opening World Cup event in Lillehammer in December, adding to her bronze with Austria in the Mixed Team event.
“I am just so happy,” she said. “It was an incredible race. Thanks to the team because I had such fast skis.”
Laate, who started the cross-country with a 50-second advantage over the field, came in fourth, 33.4 seconds back, with Jenny Nowak (GER) pipping Yuna Kasai for fifth place.
Teenager Laate lights up hill
In changeable, wet conditions on the HS102 normal hill, the expectant Norwegian crowd had earlier witnessed the latest step in the rapid emergence of 17-year-old Laate.
Two years ago she was competing in Youth Cup events and last year finished fifth in the individual events at both the Youth Winter Olympics and Junior World Championships.
But the last four weeks have seen Laate finish ninth in a World Cup Mass Start in Seefeld, win gold in the Junior World Championships in Lake Placid – where she also took silver in the ski jumping – and then place ninth in the Mass Start at her first senior Worlds in Trondheim.
Dropping down three start gates to 26, Laate’s stylish 97.0-meter jump (above) earned 122.8 points, a tally no-one else could get anywhere near as she took a remarkable lead into the cross-country.
“My take-off was very good and I was very happy with my landing,” she said. “I am a little nervous but it is a really good feeling.”
A 97.5m jump by Teja Pavec (SLO) for 105.0 points and then Hirner’s 98.0m effort – the joint-longest of the day - for 110.2 points came closest before the top 10 took to the hill.
Nowak’s 96.0m jump earned 104.6 points (1:13 back) to give her an outside medal chance before Westvold Hansen, roared on by the home crowd, matched Hirner’s longest jump of 98.0 meters but a slightly heavy, two-footed landing gleaned only 104.8 points, a deficit of 1:12 on Laate heading into the tracks.
Hagen’s 94.5m effort was 3.5 meters less but earned her 106.6 points, her jubilation on the out-run an indication that she felt a 1:05 deficit was eminently retrievable in the tracks.
But Mass Start gold medallist Yuna Kasai (94.0m for 100.5 points) and sister Haruka Kasai (95.5m for 101.7) both started nearly 1:30 behind after slightly underwhelming jumps, while Nathalie Armbruster’s 87.0m effort left her back in 20th, 2:18 adrift.
“I don’t like this hill so much,” said the overall World Cup leader, who ultimately rallied to finish eighth but again missed out on an individual medal, having picking up Mixed Team silver. “When I look at the video my jumps are not so bad, but it's just not working here.”
Gyda glides home on glory run
The start of the cross-country saw Hirner take 10 seconds out of Laate’s lead inside the first 300m but the big early move came from Westvold Hansen, who made up a seven-second deficit on Hagen to put herself right in her rival’s tracks.
As they approached the end of the first 2.5m loop, Laate’s lead was cut to 23 seconds, with Hagen and Westvold Hansen catching Hirner to make it a three-strong chasing group and Nowak a further 20 seconds back in fifth.
As they made their way through the forest tracks, the chasing trio had passed Laate by the 3.7km mark, with Hagen leading the way and Westvold Hansen and Hirner tucked in behind.
But launching a long sprint for home, Westvold Hansen powered up the final climb and motored away to an emotional victory to leave her two rivals fighting for silver.
Click here for full results from Sunday’s Gundersen.
