Nordic Combination is officially called Nordic Combined. It includes ski jumping and cross-country skiing. This sport appeared in Norway more than a century ago, spread to other countries and was included in the Winter Games program.
Individual competitions in this sport were first held at the Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924. The first Olympic gold medal was then won by the Norwegian athlete Turleif Haug. Participants jumped from a 60-meter springboard and ran a distance of 18 km. Over the years, the height of the springboard has increased and the length of the race has decreased. Currently, the individual classification includes the middle jump 105 meters and the cross-country skiing 10 km.
In jumping, points are awarded for the flight length and execution technique. Athletes with the most points are the first to start in the race, with the winner being the first to cross the finish line. Teams of 4 people take part in the team competition. In the first part of the competition, each participant makes one jump from a springboard with a height of 140 meters. The scores of all team members are added up. The ski race is carried out in the form of a 4 × 5 km relay.
Nordic combined events are held for two days: on the first day - ski jumping, on the second day - the race. The result is determined by the sum of points for completing both exercises. In 1999, a new sport appeared - nordic combined-sprint. It takes place within one day: after jumping from a 120-meter springboard, in an hour, participants go to a distance of 7.5 km.
In the course of the development of ski biathlon, many technical innovations find practical application in it - modern skis, bindings, boots, V-shaped position of skis during flight and skating during a race. Nordic combined is a men's sport, women do not take part in it.
Soviet and Russian double-fighters managed to achieve success at the Olympic Games only twice. At the 88 Games in Calgary, Estonian Allar Lewandi won bronze in individual events, as did Valery Stolyarov at the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. Most of the Olympic gold medals are held by Norwegians.
