VAL DI FIEMME, Italy (AP) — Haavard Klemetsen of Norway will start the cross-country race in first place after winning the ski jumping phase of the Nordic combined event Friday at the world championships.
Klemetsen, who has won only one individual race in his career, jumped 103.5 meters to narrowly edge Austrian pair Mario Stecher and Christoph Bieler.
Stecher, who has struggled with injury this season, jumped an impressive 106 meters and will start 16 seconds behind Klemetsen, with Bieler a second further back.
Reigning world champion and four-time World Cup winner Eric Frenzel will start in sixth, 0.41 seconds behind Klemetsen, after the German jumped 99.5 meters.
Olympic champion Jason Lamy-Chappuis will start 1:13 behind Klemetsen after finishing 11th in the ski jump.
