Nordic Combined Preview: Riiber Dominant Heading Into Olympics

(AP) -- Norway's Jarl Magnus Riiber has been so dominant in World Cup competitions that other Nordic combined athletes are studying how he soars past the competition in ski jumping to often take a huge lead into the cross-country skiing leg of the events.

They hope the homework pays off next month at the Winter Olympics in China.

"I have videos of Jarl saved on my laptop," American athlete Jared Shumate said.

"Every team and every athlete in our sport is watching video of him, trying to figure out how and why he's on another level."

Nordic combined, which was part of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, challenges athletes in a unique way.

They need to have finesse and fearlessness for ski jumping and the strength and stamina necessary for a 10-kilometer cross-country course.

The athlete who wins the ski jumping stage starts the cross-country race in the front of the pack, followed by the rest of the competition in their order of finish.

Then it's a race to the line for gold. The team event includes four teammates who jump and then head to a cross-country relay.

The 24-year-old Riiber will be very motivated to win in China after falling just short of earning a spot on the podium four years ago, finishing fourth in the large and normal hill competitions.

GENDER INEQUITY

Nordic combined is the only Olympic sport without gender equality, preventing women from competing on the world's stage.

Women broke through in ski jumping at the Sochi Games in 2014, but they will have to wait at least four more years to participate in Nordic combined at the Olympics.

"There is there is no viable excuse left for the International Olympic Committee to not put women's Nordic combined into the 2026 Olympic Games," said Billy Demong, a five-time Olympian and executive director of USA Nordic.

THE CONTENDERS

Riiber is expected to win both individual events (large and normal hill jumping, each of which is followed by its accompanying cross-country race), but will have plenty of competition. Each of the athletes who earned an Olympic medal four years ago will be competing in China, including one of the sport's all-time greats.

Germany's Eric Frenzel won gold on the normal hill in South Korea -- as he did at the Sochi Games -- and earned gold in the team competition as well as a silver on the large hill, giving him six Olympic medals in his career.