Top 6 Best Men's Nordic Combined Skiers Of All Time

Men’s Nordic combined skiing has been an event since the first-ever Winter Olympics in 1924, held in Chamonix, France. This combined event consists of a ski jump and a cross country skiing event. Keep reading to learn more about the top six men’s Nordic combined skiers of all time.

Who are the best men’s Nordic combined athletes of all time?

1. Eric Frenzel
2. Felix Gottwald
3. Samppa Lajunen
4. Fred Børre Lundberg
5. Johannes Rydzek
6. Ronny Ackerman

1. Eric Frenzel

• Six-time Olympic medalist (3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze)
• Overall Nordic Combined World Cup champion for five consecutive years
• Seven Nordic World Ski Championship gold medals

Eric Frenzel is a German skier who is considered the best Nordic combined athlete in the last decade and possibly of all time. His Olympic career began in 2010 in Vancouver, and since then, he has won seven Olympic medals, including three golds. He has competed in a total of three Olympic games. In the 2018 games in Pyeongchang, Frenzel landed on the podium in all three events, finishing with two golds and one bronze medal. Along with his Olympic success, Frenzel became a record holder for winning five consecutive overall World Cup championships from 2012 to 2017. He also has seven Nordic World Ski Championship gold medals and seven silver medals.

2. Felix Gottwald

• Seven-time Olympic medalist (3 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze)
• Seven-time overall Nordic Combined World Cup medalist (1 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze)
• 23 Individual World Cup victories

Felix Gottwald is an Austrian skier and the most decorated Nordic Combined Olympic athlete of all time. He won seven medals in the five Olympics that he competed in, including three gold medals. His first Olympic Games were in 1994 in Lillehammer, and even though he retired in 2007, he decided to return to the sport for one final Olympic Games in 2010, where he won his final gold medal. Outside of the Olympics, he won the Nordic Combined World Cup overall gold medal in the 2000-01 season. He was also the World Cup overall runner-up three times and came in third place in the standings three times.

3. Samppa Lajunen

• Five-time Olympic medalist (3 gold and 2 silver)
• Two-time Nordic Combined World Cup Champion
• 20 Nordic Combined World Cup victories

Samppa Lajunen is a Finnish skier who won his first overall World Cup championship when he was 17. His first Olympic appearance was in 1998, where he finished with two silver medals in the two events that he competed in. Four years later, in Salt Lake City, Lajunen competed in three events (with the addition of the sprint race) and won the gold medal in all three. Throughout his Olympic career, Lajunen competed in five events and successfully captured a medal in all five. Along with his Olympic dominance, he won two overall Nordic combined World Cup championships and a gold medal at the Nordic World Ski Championships, making for a total of eight international medals.

4. Fred Børre Lundberg

• Four-time Olympic medalist (2 gold and 2 silver)
• Three-time Nordic World Ski Championship Gold Medals
• One-time overall Nordic Combined World Cup winner

Fred Børre Lundberg is a Norwegian skier who has won four Olympic medals. He began his Olympic career in Albertville in 1992, winning his first silver medal. He continued for two more Olympic games and finished his career in 1998 in Nagano. At the end of his Olympic career, he had won one gold and two silver medals in the team event and one gold medal in the individual event. Outside of his Olympic success, Lundberg earned three Nordic World Ski Championships gold medals and three silver medals. In the 1990-91 season, Lundberg won the overall Nordic Combined World Cup; he was the runner-up in the 1992-93 season.

5. Johannes Rydzek

• Four-time Olympic medalist (2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze)
• 2017 Grand Slam winner in the Nordic World Ski Championships
• Twelve-time Nordic World Ski Championship medalist (6 gold, 5 silver, and 1 bronze)
• Two-time Nordic Combined World Cup runner-up

Johannes Rydzek is a German skier who began competing at the Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver. He has won four Olympic medals after competing in three Olympic games. He won two Olympic gold medals and claimed both of those in 2018 in Pyeongchang. His most impressive feat came in 2017 when he became the first Nordic combined skier to win all four gold medals at the Nordic World Ski Championships. This was especially impressive because the Grand Slam had never been accomplished before, even when there were only three events between 1999 and 2009. However, Ryzdek easily won all four events in the current model. In total, Ryzdek has six World Championship gold medals, five silver, and one bronze.

6. Ronny Ackermann

• Three-time Olympic silver medalist
• Three-time overall Nordic combined World Cup champion
• Four-time Nordic World Ski Championship gold medalist

Ronny Ackermann is a German skier who was responsible for much of the German Nordic combined team’s success in the early 2000s. His first Olympic appearance was in 1998 in Nagano, and he won his first medals four years later in Salt Lake City, taking home two silver medals. In his final Olympic Games in Turin in 2006, he won his third and final silver medal. After the 2006 Olympics, Ackermann made history by becoming the first Nordic combined skier to win three Nordic World Ski Championships in a row in the 15km event. He won four World Ski Championship gold medals, five silver medals, and one bronze medal for a total of 10. He was also the overall Nordic Combined World Cup champion in 2002, 2003, and 2008.

FAQ