The Gundersen Format Explained

The Gundersen Format: How Nordic Combined Resolves Two Sports into One Finish

The Gundersen format is Nordic combined’s signature innovation — an elegant system that converts ski jumping points into cross-country starting time gaps, ensuring the first skier across the finish line wins the competition outright. Named after Norwegian competitor Gunder Gundersen, the format has defined the sport since its adoption in the 1980s and is governed by FIS rules.

How It Works

1. Ski Jumping Phase: all athletes compete in ski jumping first (one or two jumps, depending on the event). Each athlete receives a jumping score based on distance, style, wind compensation, and gate compensation — following standard FIS ski jumping rules.

2. Points-to-Time Conversion: the athlete with the highest jumping score starts the cross-country race first. All other athletes’ starting times are calculated by converting their points deficit into seconds.

   Conversion rate (individual events): 1 point = 4 seconds.

   Example: if Athlete A scores 140.0 jumping points and Athlete B scores 130.0, Athlete B starts the cross-country race 40 seconds behind Athlete A.

3. Cross-Country Race: athletes start at staggered intervals matching their time gaps. The race is conducted in free technique (skating). The first athlete to cross the finish line wins the competition — no further calculations needed.

Why This Format Works

Before the Gundersen format, Nordic combined used a complicated points conversion after both events, making it nearly impossible for spectators to determine the winner until results were calculated. The Gundersen method solved this by front-loading the math: all the conversion happens before the cross-country race, so the finish line tells the story.

This creates natural drama:

• The jumping leader starts first but is chased by stronger skiers.
• Athletes can see their rivals ahead and behind on the course.
• Overtakes are visible and meaningful.
• The sprint finish, if the race comes down to it, decides everything.

Tactical Implications

For jumping specialists: a big lead from the hill can be enough to hold off stronger skiers, especially if the gap is large enough that pursuers can’t draft off the leader.

For skiing specialists: the Gundersen format is kind to strong skiers because they can use drafting to conserve energy and time their attack. Starting 40–60 seconds behind the leader, a strong skier can latch onto the pack ahead and surge at the end.

The “breakaway” scenario: if the jumping leader has a gap of 1:00+ and is a competent skier, the race becomes very difficult for the chasers. They must work together (as in cycling) to reel in the leader, but doing so requires cooperation that may not materialize.

At Beijing 2022, Vinzenz Geiger’s gold medal run exemplified the format’s drama: he started 1:26 behind jumping leader Ryōta Yamamoto but systematically worked through the field, catching the leaders in the final kilometers and sprinting to gold.

Team Event Adaptation

In the team event (4 × 5 km relay), each team’s four athletes each take one jump. The four jump scores are summed, and the team totals are converted into time gaps using the same 1 point = 4 seconds rate. The relay then proceeds with staggered starts.

Historical Context

The Gundersen format was first used at the 1988 Calgary Olympics and has been the standard since. Before its adoption, Nordic combined used several different calculation methods — some of which produced confusing results that disconnected the finish-line action from the actual winner. The Gundersen method’s simplicity and drama transformed Nordic combined into a much more spectator-friendly sport.