KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — Eric Frenzel of Germany led after ski jumping and then powered home on the cross-country course to win the gold medal Wednesday in the Nordic combined individual normal hill at the Sochi Olympics.

Frenzel, last year’s World Cup champion and runaway leader this year, started the 10-kilometer cross-country race with a six-second advantage over Akito Watabe of Japan.

Watabe and Frenzel, who opened up an early lead of about 20 seconds on the rest of the pack, traded the lead a few times but Frenzel skied away in the final kilometers to win by 4.2 seconds in a time of 23 minutes, 50.2 seconds.

Watabe took the silver in 23:54.4 and Magnus Krog of Norway earned the bronze in 23:58.3.

American finishers were Billy Demong of Vermontville, N.Y. (24), Bryan Fletcher (26) and Taylor Fletcher (33) both of Steamboat Springs, Colo.


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