Johannes Rydzek storms to victory in Kuopio

Double world champion Johannes Rydzek became the first man to win a Nordic combined World Cup event in Kuopio, Finland, for almost 15 years after claiming victory in the men's individual Gundersen on Tuesday.

The city had not played host to a Nordic combined World Cup race for a decade and a half but Rydzek produced a sterling cross-country performance to take gold.

The German soared 127 metres in the ski jumping phase of the competition to lie fifth, giving him just 34 seconds to make up on Akito Watabe in the 10km cross-country.

Rydzek had cancelled out Watabe's advantage in the first half of the cross-country but to the Japanese skier's credit he stayed with the 24-year-old until the final few metres.

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Nordic Combined - Kuopio: Johannes Rydzek claims win in Gundersen

However, eventually Rydzek proved to be too strong – clocking a winning time of 23:59.6 minutes, just over six seconds ahead of Watabe with Austrian veteran Wilhelm Denifl third.

It was 35-year-old Denifl's first World Cup podium since a victory in Chaykovsky in 2014 but overall World cup leader Eric Frenzel found less success in Finland as he finished seventh.

But the German still holds a healthy 143-point lead over Watabe in the overall standings with another German, Fabian Riessle, lying third.

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