Austria's Felix Gottwald competes in the first round jump of the Nordic Combined Large Hill Team First Discipline during the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) In the 1800s, a small and decidedly obscure group of winter athletes travelled from ski carnival to ski carnival in a primitive form of a competitive circuit. They specialized in both ski jumping and cross-country skiing, two popular Nordic fields of competition. Spectators considered the competition to be the canrivals' premier event, a true show of athletic mastery and ability.
In 1900, the sport was halved. Athletes could now specialize within each discipline. Ultimately, the separated fields of cross-country skiing and ski jumping surpassed Nordic combined in terms of prestige and interest.
But respect for the grueling combined sport remained strong. It was included in the first 1924 Olympic program and has remained ever since. Norway's Thorleif Haug won the inaugural Olympic gold medal, the first of many Norwegian wins to come.
But even though Norway dominated the sport and swept the medals in the first four Olympics, it's an East German who sits atop nordic combined's historical throne. Ulrich Wehling remains the greatest Olympic champion of all in the event, with gold medals at the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Games. He became his country's first athlete to win three consecutive titles in the same Winter Olympic event.
The event continues to evolve.
In 1956, the cross-country portion of the event was shortened from 18 to 15 kilometres. At the 1988 Calgary Olympics, a team event was added, and at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, a sprint event with a K120 jump and a 7.5km cross-country ski race was included for the first time.
Austria dominated the sport's podium at the 2006 Torino Olympics, taking two gold medals and one silver.
