Young Nordic stars target Junior Worlds medals in Lillehammer

Future and current stars of Nordic Combined will aim to follow in the tracks of the some of the sport’s biggest names at this week’s FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Lillehammer, Norway.

Current men’s World Cup overall leader Johannes Lamparter was twice crowned world junior champion, first as a 17-year-old in 2019 before repeating the feat two years later, just a few weeks before he won two World Championship gold medals as a 19-year-old.

Recent triple Winter Olympic Games gold medallist Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR), Stefan Rettenegger (AUT) and German trio Johannes Rydzek, Vinzenz Geiger and Julian Schmid also won individual Junior Worlds gold on their way to successful careers in the senior ranks.  

On the women’s side, recent junior world champions include Minja Korhonen (FIN, left below), who has established herself in the top three of the World Cup standings this season, two years after winning the junior crown in Planica, Slovenia.

The silver medallist from that competition, Alexa Brabec (USA, above right), has finished in the top four of every World Cup event this season and lies second in the overall standings. Her younger sister, Haley Brabec, will be part of the USA team in Lillehammer.

Last year’s junior world champion, Ingrid Laate (NOR), has been this season’s outstanding jumper in the Nordic Combined World Cup but the 18-year-old will not be defending her crown, leaving the path clear for new contenders to emerge.

Katharina Gruber (AUT), at 17, has already become the youngest woman to win a World Cup event with her stunning Mass Start victory in Trondheim at the start of this season and the teenager will spearhead Austria’s medal charge.

Teja Pavec (SLO) will be aiming to upgrade her individual silver from 2025, while another 18-year-old, Yuzuki Kainuma (JPN), could also be a challenger having enjoyed a consistent season in the World Cup, equalling her best finish of sixth in Seefeld in late January.

There will also be a new men’s world junior champion crowned on Friday, 6 March, when the two individual Gundersens take place.

Paul Walcher (AUT) won the last two individual golds in 2024 and 2025, among his six Junior Worlds medals overall, but is now focused on adding to his six top-20 finishes in the World Cup this season.

Compatriot Andreas Gfrerer (AUT, below), seventh in 2024 and sixth in 2025, when he also won Mixed Team silver alongside Walcher and Gruber, looks a good bet to step up onto the podium.

Two recent Olympians will also be competing in Lillehammer.

Kacper Jarzabek (POL), a 19-year-old who finished 33^rd in the Individual Normal Hill and 35^th in the Large Hill in Val di Fiemme, is part of a four-strong men’s Polish team.

Ruubert Teder (EST), at 16, was the youngest Nordic Combined athlete at the Winter Games, finishing 34^th on the Normal Hill before joining Kristjan Ilves for the Team Sprint.

The action will get under way with Team Sprint events for both women and men on Wednesday, 4 March, before each tackle an Individual Gundersen on Friday.

The final day of Nordic Combined competition on Saturday will see a Mixed Team event featuring two women and two men from each nation. Germany will be aiming for their third successive gold.

FIS JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS – NORDIC COMBINED SCHEDULE (all times CET)

04.03.26

09:45 – Team Sprint - Women’s NH SJ

11:30 – Team Sprint - Men’s NH SJ

15:00 – Team Sprint - Women’s CC 2x 4.5km

16:00 – Team Sprint - Men’s CC 2x 7.5km

06.03.26

09:30 – Women’s Individual Gundersen NH SJ

11:30 – Men’s Individual Gundersen NH SJ

15:00 – Women’s Individual Gundersen CC 5km

15:45 – Men’s Individual Gundersen CC 5km

07.03.26

10:00 – Mixed Team NH SJ

15:00 – Mixed Team CC