Hirvonen, Herola win 1st silver for Finland at Winter Olympics

Eero Hirvonen and Ilkka Herola brought first silver medal for Finland in the men's Nordic combined team sprint at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Norway's Jens Luraas Oftebro and Andreas Skoglund claimed gold in the nail-biting event.

The Norwegian duo finished in 41 minutes 18 seconds, narrowly beating Finland's Eero Hirvonen and Ilkka Herola, who took silver just half a second behind, while Austria's Stefan Rettenegger and Johannes Lamparter earned bronze in 41:40.3, reported Xinhua.

The event, which began with ski jumping earlier in the day, turned the cross-country portion into a dramatic contest of tactics, mini battles, counterattacks, and several frustrating falls amid swirling snowflakes.

The race, now featuring two-athlete teams in the new format, saw Germany and Norway duel at the front in the early laps.

By the third lap, Japan, Austria, and Finland had closed in, creating a five-nation medal pack. After the fourth lap, just 1.6 seconds separated Germany, Norway, Austria, and Finland.

Crashes in snowy conditions proved decisive, as German, Japanese and Austrian skiers fell during the race, leaving Norway and Finland to battle it out for the gold.

This victory marks Oftebro's third Olympic gold at the Games, while it is the first Olympic medal for Skoglund.

It was the first silver and fifth medal for Finland in the Winter Olympics this year.

Earlier on February 17, Ilkka Herola won bronze for Finland at Milan-Cortina Olympics securing third place in the Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km.

on February 15, Suvi Minkkinen won the third bronze for Finland at Milan-Cortina Olympics securing third place in the women’s 10km biathlon pursuit.

On February 11, Eero Hirvonen brought first medal for Finland after he won bronze in the men's normal hill Nordic combined at Milan-Cortina winter Olympic 2026.

On February 14, Johanna Matintalo, Kerttu Niskanen, Vilma Ryytty and Jasmi Joensuu won second bronze for Finland in the women's 4x7.5-kilometer relay of cross-country skiing.