Nordic combined involves ski jumping and cross-country skiing in two separate events held on one day. Athletes in this sport exhibit the fearlessness of a ski jumper and the tenacity of a cross-country skier.

Nordic Combined is one of only two sports on the Olympic program (ski jumping is the other) where only men compete. There are three events on the 2010 Olympic program:

Individual Normal Hill, Individual Large Hill, Team Large Hill

Inside this sport: Competition Format | Equipment

Venue: All Nordic combined events will be contested at Whistler Olympic Park, the same venue used for cross country skiing, ski jumping and biathlon.

Torino recap
What was expected to be a showdown between three forces of Nordic combined, Finland's Hannu Manninen, Germany's Ronny Ackermann and Austria's Felix Gottwald, became more of a one-man show. Gottwald was the star of the Torino Games by capturing gold medals in the sprint and team events, and a silver medal in the individual, while Manninen and Ackermann grossly underperformed. In fact, Ackermann, voted German Sportsman of the Year in 2005 (beating out such superstars as Dirk Nowitzki and gymnast Fabien Hambuechen) found himself overshadowed by his own teammate, as Georg Hettich won three medals, one of each value. The United States had high hopes going in, but could not muster better than a seventh-place result in the team event.

Demong emerges as everyday contender
Bill Demong has made impressive strides since Torino, claiming four of his five career World Cup victories and achieving consistent podium results. The 28-year-old New York native talked to NBCOlympics.com about the keys to his recent success, his thoughts about Vancouver and what makes an elite Nordic combined athlete. Read more.

Rounding out a strong U.S. team
The United States will send a strong corps of Olympic veterans, led by Demong, Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane, to Vancouver, intent on ending its Olympic medal drought in Nordic Combined. Lodwick retired from the sport in 2006, then decided to renew his focus for a fifth Olympics in Vancouver. The 32-year-old, father of two, returned to the World Cup circuit in December 2008 and finished second in his debut. Perhaps his renewed determination will pay off. Spillane, the 2003 World Champion in the Sprint, is the third American who could contend for an individual medal. The key in the team event will be the selection of the fourth member. Lodwick ruffled some feathers in 2006 when he criticized the team selection after the disappointing, seventh-place performance.

Looking to get off the schneid
The biggest international name in Nordic combined is Germany's Ackermann. The 31-year-old, three-time Olympian was part of the two biggest rivalries in the sport in recent years, with Austria's Felix Gottwald and Finland's Hannu Manninen. With Gottwald and Manninen retired, Ackermann will aim for his first career Olympic gold medal in Vancouver. The four-time title winner at the World Championships and three-time overall World Cup champion has only three silver medals when the whole world is watching.

Traditional powerbrokers of combined
Norway and Finland are the oldest traditional powers in Nordic Combined, with over half of the gold medals in Olympic history. However, the Germans and Austrians have joined, even surpassed, them in the past two Olympic cycles. Magnus Moan and Petter Tande (Norway) and Anssi Koivuranti and Janne Ryynaenen (Finland) will look to restore Scandinavian prowess, while Bjoern Kircheisen and Ackermann (Germany) and Christoph Bieler and Bernhard Gruber (Austria) will look to continue Central European domination, begun by Gottwald at Pragelato Plan in 2006.