Germany's Ronny Ackermann has won a World Cup Nordic Combined event in Kuusamo, Finland, the season-opening event in the sports that combined ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
Ackermann finished third in the ski jumping on the K-120 hill behind Japan's Daito Takahasi and Anssi Koivuranta of Finland. The German then finished in 15th place in the cross-country skiing portion but his combined time was enough to put him in first place.
Hannu Manninen of Finland was second with American Todd Lodwick third. The Nordic combined competition continues Sunday with the sprint ski race.
Meanwhile, French skier Vincent Vittoz won a men's 15-kilometer World Cup cross-country ski race in Kuusamo by edging German Axel Teichmann by less that two seconds.
Vittoz covered the freestyle course in 35:26.09. Teichmann's second placed finish put him into the overall lead.
Italian Girogio di Centa finished third, 18.6 behind Vittoz. Defending overall champion Rene Sommerfeldt of Germany was fourth.
Some information for this report provided by AP.