By Tommy Lund and Liz Hampton
TESERO, Italy, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Norway’s Jens Luraas Oftebro produced a powerful late surge to win the gold medal in the men’s large hill Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday.
Austria’s Johannes Lamparter secured silver and Finland’s Ilkka Herola the bronze as Oftebro settled the race with a decisive surge up the final climb in the closing metres of the 10 km course, a finish that echoed fellow Norwegian Johannes Klaebo’s trademark late kick in the cross-country classic sprint earlier in the Games.
Lamparter, who started eight seconds behind in second place after the ski jumping, moved quickly to the front in the early stages and opened up a small advantage, but his pace faded around halfway, allowing his rivals to reel him in and he ended up 5.9 seconds behind Oftebro.
(Reporting by Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund, editing by Ed Osmond)
