The Nordic Combined World Cup continues in Lahti, Finland, where Kristjan Ilves faced challenges in the preliminary round of the jumping event on the HS130 hill, finishing 16th. This follows a period where he seemed to regain his jumping confidence during the Milano Cortina Olympics, but recent performances have deteriorated. In last week's ski jumping competition in Kulm, Ilves recorded a 14th place in the PCR and 15th in the main event, indicating a worrying trend in his form.

Today, Ilves achieved a jump of 120 meters, which earned him 115.6 points. With the potential for rain affecting tomorrow's jumps, he may find himself starting the 10km ski race 1.45 minutes behind the leader, Thomas Rettenegger, who had a better showing with jumps of 129.5 meters and 141.8 points. Notably, while the distances between the top competitors are considerable, only four are within a minute of each other, suggesting a competitive race ahead.

The only individual competition is set for Friday at Lahti, with the jumping event scheduled for 2 PM, followed by the Gunderseni format 10 km skiing event at 5:35 PM. Additionally, a pairs sprint event will also take place on Saturday, which will further highlight the athletes' performances in this demanding sport.