Norway's Jens Lurås Oftebro and Andreas Skoglund clinched gold in the men's team sprint Nordic combined event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, securing a sweep of all three competitions amid heavy snowfall. Finland earned silver in a photo finish just 0.5 seconds behind, while Austria took bronze. The victory highlights the sport's uncertain future as the IOC considers its removal from future Games due to low viewership and limited national participation.
The team sprint, held on February 19, 2026, at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Italy, combined ski jumping and a 2x7.5km cross-country relay, marking its Olympic debut in this format. Germany led after the jumping phase with a 13-second advantage, followed by Japan eight seconds later, but both nations suffered crashes during the race, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. Italy surged from 11th to fourth.
Harsh conditions, including steady snowfall and deep powder on the course, led to multiple falls. Austria's Stefan Rettenegger crashed after the 12km mark but recovered to secure bronze with Johannes Lamparter, 22.3 seconds behind the winners. The United States, with Niklas Malacinski and Ben Loomis, placed seventh.
Oftebro, who won individual gold in both the normal and large hill events earlier, completed a hat-trick and tied Joergen Graabak's record of four Olympic golds in Nordic combined. "It was more than I expected to get three golds," Oftebro said. "It was hard out there today but [Skoglund and I] were strong even though it was tricky to stay on the skis and not crash."
Finland's Eero Hirvonen and Ilkka Herola, each with prior individual bronzes, pushed Norway in the final sprint. Hirvonen expressed disappointment: "I'm a bit disappointed about my last sprint there because the gold was so close."
Nordic combined, which debuted at the 1924 Chamonix Games, faces potential elimination. The IOC cited its lowest 2022 viewership and medals limited to Norway, Germany, Japan, and Austria over three Olympics. No women's event exists, though female athletes began World Cup competition in 2020. The IOC plans a decision post-2026 using Milan Cortina data. Lasse Ottesen of the International Ski Federation noted, "If it stays, it's for both."
Despite dominance by few nations, Finland's medals added diversity, with Hirvonen saying, "We have done our part with competing." Rettenegger hoped, "I'm positive that I won't be one of the last ones."
