Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger has won a men’s Nordic combined gold, rallying from a 1-minute, 26-second deficit to cross the finish line first in a 10K cross-country race after ranking 11th in ski jumping earlier in the day.

Joergen Graabak of Norway earned silver Wednesday night and Lukas Greiderer of Austria took bronze.

Vinzenz Geiger, of Germany, soars through the air during a trial round in the ski jump portion of the individual Gundersen normal hill event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.

Vinzenz Geiger, of Germany, soars through the air during a trial round in the ski jump portion of the individual Gundersen normal hill event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.  (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto jumped 108 meters (354 feet) and had 133 points in the first part of event, giving him a 38-second lead over the pack, but he faded from contention halfway through the cross-country race.

In the sport that forces athletes to have ski jumping and cross-country skiing skills, the athlete who jumps the farthest and impresses judges the most gets to start the cross-country portion with a lead. 

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The rest of the field follows, in order of their finish in ski jumping. The first to cross the finish line wins gold. It’s the only Olympic sport where only men compete.

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China’s Ren Ziwei, Sjinkie Kneght of the Netherlands and Charles Hamelin of Canada are among the top qualifiers through to the semifinals of the men’s 1,500 meters at short track speed-skating.