Eric Frenzel has won Germany's first medal of the world Nordic championships. He took a hill event title in 2011 but had to settle for fourth last week and also missed a medal after finishing sixth in the team event.
In Thursday's combination cross-country event, Frenzel led from start to finish, and threw a 138.5-meter (457-foot) jump into the middle on the large hill in Val de Fiemme, Italy. From there, he led a lonely race on the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) piste at Lago di Tesero, winning in 27 minutes, 22.8 seconds.
Austria's Bernhard Gruber finished second, 36.7 seconds off the pace. Defending champion Jason Lamy-Chappuis of France was third, 37.2 seconds behind.
Frenzel led by 48 seconds at the halfway stage, even increasing his advantage to more than a minute before slowing down on the final straightaway to wave to the crowd as he crossed the line.
mkg/dr (AP, dpa)
