Lahti, Finland  - Norwegian Magnus Moan proved too strong for his opposition on the finish line as he won Saturday's Nordic combined skiing individual event in Lahti.

Placed 20th after the jumping portion, Moan enter the final stretch together with American world champion Bill Demong and Finland's overall World Cup leader Anssi Koivuranta, but managed to outsprint them.

Moan finished in a time of 26 minutes 34.5 seconds, with Kivuranta having the same time. Demong finished third just 2.5 seconds behind the Moan and Koivuranta.

Prague  - While the skiing world praised the Nordic fest that returned to Eastern Europe for the first time in nearly four decades, the event received a much sterner report card at home.

"The Czechs showed that countries have a chance even if they haven't hosted big events before," said Gian-Franco Kasper, the president of the International Ski Federation.

His statement sharply contrasted a headline in the Czech press on Monday that billed the two-week Nordic ski championships in northern town of Liberec "a dead end."

Liberec, Czech Republic  - Bill Demong turned from villain to hero with a Nordic combined gold and Justyna Kowalczyk became the queen of cross-country skiing with a second world title on her own at the Nordic skiing world championships on Saturday.

Demong beat Germany's Bjoern Kircheisen for the Nordic combined normal hill crown, two days after he failed to find his bib in the team event which led to his disqualification and ended the US medal hopes.

Liberec, Czech Republic  - Austria lived up to its top billing on Saturday to win a third straight team event ski-jumping world title.

Normal hill world champion Wolfgang Loitzl had the longest jumps of 131 metres and 136m in each round as he won together with Olympic champion Thomas Morgenstern, Martin Koch and World Cup leader Gregor Schlierenzauer with 1,034.3 points.

Norway came second with 1,000.8 points and Japan were surprise third-place finishers with 981.2 points.

Liberec, Czech Republic - Andreas Kuettel of Switzerland became surprise large hill ski-jumping world champion on Friday as Austria met disaster in a snow-marred competition held in one round.

Kuettel, 29, soared 133.5 metres for 141.3 points get the gold. Former champion Martin Schmitt of Germany came second with 133m for 140.9 points and Anders Jacobsen was third for Norway with 132.5m for 139.5 points.

Liberec, Czech Republic - Petter Northug anchored Norway to a familiar cross-country relay title while Andreas Kuettel was a surprise ski-jumping winner in a snow-marred event at the Nordic skiing world championships on Friday.

Northug used his famed deadly kick against German Axel Teichmann to give Norway a fifth straight relay title, with Finland third.

Kuettel celebrated his biggest career success when he beat German ex-champion Martin Schmitt and Anders Jacobsen of Norway in a large hill competition held in one round as snowfall denied a full second round.