Nordic combined World Cup: Ryota Yamamoto scores career high in season opener

Ryota Yamamoto of Japan did his career best in the season opener of the Nordic combined World Cup in Finland, in which he took second. In Friday's game, he came behind Germany’s Julian Schmid, who is a first-time winner in the event that’s taking place in Finland.

After leaping for 143.5 meters, Japanse Nordiac combined skier, Yamamoto led the ski jumping round and secured an advantage of eight-second for the 5-kilometre cross-country leg. However, Schmid gained a lead of 5.9 seconds after moving from second place.

Norway’s Jens Luraas Oftebro was 11 seconds behind Schmid and came third.


Yamamoto said that toward the end, he “got quite tired”, but the run wasn’t bad. Yamamoto was Japan’s anchor at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, where the men’s team won bronze.

However, the 25-year-old’s strength doesn’t lie in the cross-country leg though he clung to the second spot as the run was half of the normal distance of 10km.

He further said that he has “made a good start” ( meaning the season), and he hopes to keep moving in the right direction.

Though Japan’s Akito Watabe finished 19th in the ski jumping portion, he settled for the 22nd position. It’s to be noted that in the last three Winter Olympics, he was medaled. Yashito, the younger brother of Akito finished 18th, however.

FAQs:

1. What country is best at Nordic combined?
It’s Norway

2. What’s the difference between Nordic combined and ski jumping?
Nordic combined comprises cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Competitors conduct the ski jumping first. Here the scoring is based on the distance covered in their jump, style, and technique. Then comes the cross-country race.