2010
23
Feb
Nordic Combined (Team): Austria claim combined team gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Whistler (AFP) - Austria claimed gold in the Nordic Combined team competition on Tuesday with the United States finishing second and Germany claiming bronze.
Having started the relay in third position and 36sec behind leaders Finland after the large hill ski jump, the Austrian quartet produced a strong performance in the cross-country as third leg Felix Gottwald put his side into the decisive lead.
The United States finished second at 5.2sec behind to claim silver, while Germany's quartet, sixth after the ski jump, took bronze at 19.5sec.
Bill Demong anchored the United States team and battled Austria's Mario Stecher all the way to the line, but came off second as heavy snow fell at Whistler Olympic Park.
"It looked to me like he had some pretty slow skis and if you don't have fast skis, it makes it that much tougher," said team-mate Johnny Spillane. "It just didn't go our way in the end."
There were some anxious moments for German Tino Edelmann who fell on the second leg, but still managed to hand over with his side ranked fourth as Germany claimed third.
"It happened pretty fast," he said of the fall. "I don't know what happened, it hasn't happen to me since I was a teenager.
"There wasn't any opponent doing anything to my skis. I am glad it didn't cost us a medal."
Despite producing a strong performance on the Large Hill, where Janne Ryynaenen produced the biggest leap of the day of 138.5m, the Finland team finished in a lowly seventh at 2min 21.5sec off the pace.
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