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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
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Nordic Combined
Program
| Jumping (K=90) Cross-Country (15kmF) Jumping (K=90) Cross-Country (4x5kmF) |
Feb. 13 ( 9:30) Feb. 14 (13:00) Feb. 19 ( 9:30) Feb. 20 (13:00) |
Kenji Ogiwara ski jumping (left) and cross-country skiing (right) (The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, Feb. 2, 3, 1997)
Viewer's guide
Nordic Combined is an event which combines Ski Jumping (Normal Hill), which requires explosive power and concentration, and Cross-Country, which requires endurance and strategy. As each competitor faces the difficulty of mastering two events at the same time that are completely different, it is very popular in Northern Europe, where the sport originated.
In the Team competition in Hakuba, each country fields a team of four members. On the first day, each of the competitors jump twice, and the average score of the four jumpers is converted into a time differential (9 points=1 minute). The Cross-Country event on the second day is a four-person relay, with each competitor skiing 5 km using free technique. This is the Gundersen method, which uses the scores from the Ski Jumping to determine the starting differentials in the Cross-Country, and the first team to cross the finish line is the winner. We can expect thrilling races in which positions change each time competitors change.
The Individual competition also involves Ski Jumping on the first day and Cross-Country on the second. The two jumps and the Gundersen Method is the same as in the Teams competition, but the competitors must ski a distance of 15 km. Starting time differentials are calculated using the formula 10 points=1 minute.
The course used for the Cross-Country part of Nordic Combined is C Course, the course with the toughest ups and downs of the three courses. The course gives competitors no chance to rest, with uphill sections which will tire the competitors out, followed by steep downhill sections which require ski control. This makes pacing and strategy even more important. (originally run May 17, 1997)
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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun