Jarl Magnus Riiber takes wrong turn to miss out on medal as Joergen Graabak takes gold in Nordic combined

Jarl Magnus Riiber threw away a 44-second head start to miss out on a medal in the men’s Nordic combined event after taking a wrong turn on the track during the 10km cross-country ski section of the event. Norway’s Joergen Graabak soared through the field to take gold and become the first athlete to win the event twice, while his compatriot Jens Luras Oftebro claimed silver.

Ad/> Akito Watabe of Japan came third for bronze. Beijing 2022Geiger wins gold in Nordic combined normal hill after thrilling sprint finish09/02/2022 AT 11:46 Geiger wins gold in Nordic combined normal hill after thrilling sprint finish Lamparter claims Nordic Combined World Cup gold to draw level with absent Riiber Beijing 2022 Olympic Games: Schedule, big names, key events and more Riiber had been in a Covid isolation hotel since arriving in Beijing and missed the first Nordic combined event on the normal hill.

But after being let out of quarantine on Monday, he put down the longest effort on the ski jumping hill in the morning to earn a massive lead ahead of Estonia’s Kristjan Ilves and Japan’s Yamamoto Ryota. The points they earn in the ski jump converts into a time handicap for the cross-country race, meaning Riiber set off first in the staggered start.

However, Riiber made a huge error at the end of the first lap, where he took a wrong turn and ended up skiing down what would be the eventual finishing straight. He got himself back on track, but gave his rivals the chance to close the gap he had built up for himself in the ski jumping event.

Having been in Covid isolation, Riiber had no chance to train on the course, with his mistake costing him Olympic glory. /> Akito Watabe of Japan sensed the opportunity to hunt Riiber down and overtook him