Finland's Ilkka Herola secured his second World Cup victory in the Nordic combined compact event at Kulm, Austria, on February 27, 2026, by outpacing Austria's Johannes Lamparter in a tight sprint finish. France's Marco Heinis, despite setting a world record jump of 233.5 meters earlier, finished 13th after struggling in the cross-country segment. The win highlights Herola's resilience after 237 starts on the circuit.
The Nordic combined World Cup compact in Kulm featured a ski flying jump followed by a 7.5 km cross-country race. After the jumps, Ilkka Herola and Johannes Lamparter led the field, starting ahead of the chasing pack. The duo cooperated initially to maintain their advantage over competitors like Germany's Johannes Rydzek and Norway's Einar Luraas Oftebro.
In the final stages, Lamparter attacked, but Herola responded with a stronger sprint to claim victory. This marked Herola's second individual World Cup win. "This is a special place to win. If someone had told me five years ago that I’d win a World Cup race after ski flying, I wouldn’t have believed them. It’s been an incredible day today," Herola said to the FIS.
Rydzek took third place, 16 seconds behind, tied with Oftebro in fourth. Norway's Jens Luraas Oftebro, the Olympic triple medalist, finished fifth at 18 seconds back. Finland's Eero Hirvonen made a strong recovery from bib 19 to sixth, also at 18 seconds. Germany's Julian Schmid placed ninth, 19 seconds off the pace.
Marco Heinis, the only French participant, started second after his record-breaking jump of 233.5 meters, which set both French and world records for combined events. However, he was overtaken by Herola after one kilometer and fell behind the leaders midway through the race. He finished 13th, 29 seconds behind Herola, marking his best result in 15 World Cup events.
Lamparter narrowed the gap in the overall standings, leading with 173 points, while a win awards 100 points and two races remain. The event underscored the challenges of transitioning from exceptional jumping to cross-country skiing in the compact format.
