(LEAD) (Olympics) Germans complete podium sweep in Nordic combined large hill event

(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 6-8, photo)
By Joo Kyung-don

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- Germany swept the podium in the Nordic combined large hill event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Tuesday.

Johannes Rydzek topped the individual Gundersen large hill/10km competition with a time of 23 minutes, 52.5 seconds, followed by Fabian Riessle who was 0.4 second behind. Eric Frenzel, the normal hill champion at PyeongChang 2018, was third at 23:53.3.

Akito Watabe of Japan, who was the interim leader after the ski jumping portion, finished fifth at 24:05.0.

South Korea's lone Nordic combined skier, Park Je-un, finished last among 47 contestants who finished the cross-country skiing. He posted a time of 31:28.8.

Park finished last in ski jumping, with a score of 60.4 points, and started cross-country skiing at a 5:14 disadvantage.

Rydzek was the fifth-top performer on the large hill at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre with a 130.5-meter jump for 131.2 points, and was 31 seconds behind Watabe, who scored 138.9 points in the ski jumping phase.

Until the 9km point, Watabe and Jarl Magnus Riiber of Norway, who finished second in the ski jumping contest, were still the top two. Germans, however, made a last-minute spurt from there and created a three-horse race between them.

And it was Rydzek who finished first for his first Olympic gold medal. He previously finished fifth in the normal hill event.

Nordic combined consists of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. The leader in the ski jumping portion starts at 00:00, while everyone else starts with time disadvantages according to their ski jump scores.

The Nordic combined competition at the PyeongChang Olympic Games will wrap up on Thursday with the team large hill/4x5km event.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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