Individual, Men

The event was held in markedly different conditions. The ski jumping was held on a beautiful day, while the ski relay was held in a rain that made the course conditions slushy and difficult to manage. The 1996-97 World Cup winner was Finland’s Samppa Lajunen, who was still only 17, but the 1997-98 World Cup leader was Norway’s Bjarte Engen Vik, who had won the bronze medal in the event in Lillehammer. In Nagano Vik took the lead in the jumping, over the unheralded Russian Valery Stolyarov. Lajunen was sixth, starting 1:03 in back of Vik in the skiing. On the soggy course, Vik stayed ahead throughout to win by 27.5 seconds. Lajunen caught Stolyarov three kilometers from the finish and they skied together into the stadium, where Lajunen passed him on the run-in to win the silver medal in a very close finish. Vik and Lajunen would share the next two World Cups, Vik winning in 1998-99 and Lajunen in 1999-2000, with Vik winning the next two World Championships. Vik would also become the only skier to win seven Nordic combined titles at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival. Stolyarov never again won a major international medal individually, but helped Russia to the bronze medal in the team event at the 1999 World Championships.