Germany beat Austria in a tense Nordic Combined Men’s Team battle in Trondheim to win their first World Championship gold in the event since 2017 and end Norway’s domination as the hosts had to settle for bronze after a disqualification in the ski jumping.
Norway appeared to be on course for a fourth successive World gold when they earned a lead of 20 seconds from the HS138 hill to take into the 4x5km cross-country relay race.
But Joergen Graabak was disqualified for an irregular binding, a decision upheld by the jury despite a protest from Norway.
That cut 122.3 points from the hosts’ total and meant they started the cross-country a minute and 40 seconds behind Austria and Germany.
Even with their collective strength in the tracks, that proved too much of a deficit for the defending champions as the battle for gold became a two-way fight, with the lead exchanging hands several times across the four legs.
But Vinzenz Geiger (GER) eventually pulled clear of Fabio Obermeyr (AUT) on the final 5km leg to give Germany – including Julian Schmid, Johannes Rydzek and Wendelin Thannheimer – gold, having won silver at the last three Worlds and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Johannes Lamparter, Martin Fritz, Franz-Josef Rehrl and Obermeyr took silver for Austria, 6.6 seconds back, with the Norwegian quartet of Simen Tiller, Graabak, Jens Luraas Oftebro and Jarl Magnus Riiber overcoming Finland to take bronze, 1:39.8 back.