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 deadly kick again, against German Axel Teichmann, to give Norway its fifth straight relay title, with Finland third.

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

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, 30, soared 133.5 metres for 141.3 points get the gold. 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.

The results came from the first round as officials tried in vain twice to stage the final round.

Liberec, Czech Republic  - Petter Northug used his deadly kick again, against German Axel Teichmann, to give Norway its fifth straight men's relay cross-country skiing world title on Friday.

The pursuit champion Northug made his trademark staccato steps in the final turn before the home stretch to win the 4x10-kilometres race with Eldar Roenning, Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset and Tore Ruud Hofstad in 1 hour 41 minutes 50.6 seconds.

Liberec, Czech Republic  - Germany may have never won a gold in the team sprint, but just like in 2005 a men's silver felt like gold for the whole team.

At at home worlds 2005 in Oberstdorf and again over the past days in Liberec success in cross-country skiing seemed impossible due to a combination of bad luck and wrong waxing.

But all was forgotten when Axel Teichmann fought hard on the home stretch to beat Sami Jauhojaervi of Finland in the photo finish, with only Norway ahead.

Liberec, Czech Republic  - Ola Vigen Hattestad of Norway was unstoppable on the home stretch again as he won a second cross-country skiing world title in 24 hours, in the team sprint together with Johan Kjoelstad.

Hattestad passed Finland's Sami Jauhojaervi who also had to bow to German Axel Teichmann in a photo-finish as Norway won from Germany and Finland on the first partly sunny day of the championships.

Liberec, Czech Republic  - English has taken over from Norwegian, Finnish or Russian as the number one language at the Nordic skiing world championships, thanks to a stunning US team.

Kikkan Randall's cross-country sprint silver on Tuesday was the fifth medal for the US which needed just six days in North Bohemia to match its previous haul from 46 editions over 83 years 1924-2007.