A young but experienced squadron of Flying Finns dominated the nordic combined, sweeping gold in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in all three events.

Led by 22-year-old Samppa Lajunen, the Finns won the team relay for the first time since the sport's Olympic debut in 1988. Lajunen became only the second Finn to win the individual event. His win in the K120 + 7.5 kilometer sprint, making its Olympic debut at the 2002 Games, made him the first triple gold medalist in nordic combined.

Finland's consistent jumping and strong skiing helped it win five out of nine medals awarded. Jaakko Tallus (FIN) also won two medals -- silver in the individual and gold in the team relay -- to help push the Finns to new heights.

Defending team relay gold medalists Norway could only muster fifth while the upstart Americans, led by Todd Lodwick and Bill Demong, earned fourth-place, the best-ever finish by American in the team relay. Germany and Austria fared well, finishing second and third in the team relay.

Veterans Felix Gottwald (AUT) and Ronny Ackermann (GER) gave Lajunen a run for his money in the individual events. Gottwald, world No. 1 in 2000-01, couldn't crack Lajunen in the skiing sections and won three bronze medals. Ackermann, a bronze medalist at the 2001 World Championship in the sprint, won two silver medals.

The Americans set new marks for best-ever finishes in all three events -- fourth in the team relay and Lodwick fifth in the sprint and seventh in the individual. Traditional nordic combined powerhouse Norway fared poorly, finishing fifth in the team relay and placing only one racer in the top-10 in the individual.

--Andy Hood