Riiber cements return to form with World Cup victory in Oslo

Jarl Magnus Riiber continued his sharp return to form as he claimed World Cup gold on home snow in the Nordic combined in Oslo on Saturday afternoon. Having started the season in fine style with four early World Cup victories, the Norwegian came into the event in Oslo having not won a World Cup since December. Ad However, an impressive haul of four gold medals from the recent World Championships in Planica signalled that he was back to his best ahead of the tail end of the season.

World ChampionshipsWatch as Riiber claims fourth gold medal in Nordic Combined 10km in Planica04/03/2023 AT 21:02 And he produced a dominant display to get back to winning ways on the regular circuit. Riiber was ahead after the opening ski jump element after a staggering effort of 134.5m saw him awarded 152.9 points, placing him well clear of the rest of the field. And the Norwegian showed no signs of letting his significant advantage slip in the ski element, cruising to a fifth World Cup crown of the season.

Riiber finished almost two minutes ahead of Julian Schmid, who took silver in Oslo, while Johannes Lamparter was just 1.4s behind the German as he was forced to settle for bronze. Stefan Rettenegger finished just off the podium in fourth, with Jens Luraas Oftebro in fifth. A third-placed finish was enough for Austria's Lamparter to maintain his lead at the top of the overall World Cup standings on 1285 points, with Oftebro second 1149 points.

Schmid sits in third place, with Riiber now in fourth after his victory. Four events remain this season, with another event taking place in Oslo tomorrow. Sportsbeat 2023 World ChampionshipsRiiber stops and looks for rivals as he cruises to victory in Nordic Combined04/03/2023 AT 14:55 World