Norway's Jens Luraas Oftebro wins 2nd gold in Nordic combined

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Norway's Jens Luraas Oftebro turned on the afterburners and galloped uphill past his rivals on the 10-kilometer cross-country ski race to claim his second straight gold medal in Nordic combined at the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

“I had dreamed about one, but to win two is something very special,” he said. “When I went (ahead) in the second-last climb, it was very good, so I’m really happy that I could come into the finish straight alone.”

Johannes Lamparter of Austria, who finished second behind Oftebro in the normal hill event, won his second silver and Ilkka Herola of Finland, who had never medaled in four Olympics, got bronze.

The event begins with a single ski jump in the morning where distance and style points are computed into a time advantage for the best jumper. The rest of the field starts the cross-country ski race behind the leader according to the ranking from their jump and the first to cross the line is the winner.

Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto got an eight-second head start over Lamparter after the ski jump and Norway’s Andreas Skoglund started 16 seconds back.

Oftebro, who won the normal hill event last week, started 22 seconds behind in fifth place. Herola started 32 seconds back in seventh place.

Lamparter, ranked first in the world coming into the Olympics, broke out to an early lead as Oftebro led a group of seven chasing him.

By the halfway mark, Lamparter had been caught and the three eventual medalists were nearly on their own as Skoglund tried in vain to hang on.

On the second-to-last hill, Oftebro exploded, leaving Herola and Lamparter behind and building enough of a gap to ease up in the home stretch and glide across the finish line.

Lamparter finished six seconds behind and Herola was 15 seconds back.

“You don’t win a medal every day, so once again it’s a really nice day," Lamparter said. "The first one was a bit more emotional, but it’s special. I’m relieved, happy, all of those emotions and really proud of myself.”

Niklas Malacinski was the highest-placed U.S. finisher in 13th.

Yamamoto finished 15th.

Nordic combined has been contested since the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and is the only event in the winter Games that excludes women. It faces possible elimination from the International Olympic Committee because it draws a small audience and a few nations dominate.

The winners in both Nordic combined events held so far was nearly identical with the only difference being that Herola took the place of fellow Finn Eero Hirvonen, who won bronze on the shorter hill.

Fans who want to save the sport — and those who want women included — held signs of protest at the two events. Malasinski's sister, Annika, who is on the U.S. women's Nordic combined team and was heartbroken when the IOC decided not to include women this year, held a sign that said, “No exception” on one side and “Make Olympics gender equal” on the other.

The IOC is due to make its decision later this year.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Jens Luraas Oftebro, of Norway, soars through the air during his competition round jump of the nordic combined individual Gundersen large hill/10km at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Fans hold sigs while watching the ski jumping of the nordic combined individual Gundersen large hill/10km at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Ryota Yamamoto, of Japan, soars through the air during his competition round jump of the nordic combined individual Gundersen large hill/10km at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jens Luraas Oftebro, of Norway, from left, Johannes Lamparter, of Austria, and Ilkka Herola, of Finland, compete in the nordic combined individual Gundersen large hill/10km at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Gold medalist Jens Luraas Oftebro, of Norway, celebrates on the podium flanked by silver medalist Johannes Lamparter, of Austria, left, and bronze medalist Ilkka Herola, of Finland, after the nordic combined individual Gundersen large hill/10km at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s healthy and wants to play even as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to say the two-time MVP is too injured to take the floor.

Antetokounmpo missed a 10th straight game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics due to what the team has described as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly during a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

“I’m healthy,” Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Athletic before Friday’s game. “I hate it when people force me to do things against my nature. I’m a player. I get paid to play.”

For the last couple of weeks, Antetokounmpo has participated in pregame warmups without showing any apparent signs of injury.

Antetokounmpo also noted that the Bucks should have known this about him since the 31-year-old has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee.

Throughout that time, Antetokounmpo has had a reputation for rapid returns from injury, most notably when he hyperextended his knee during Milwaukee’s 2021 playoff run but missed two games before returning to lead the Bucks to their first title in half a century.

“You know who you’re dealing with,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “So, for somebody to come and tell me to not play or to not compete, it’s like a slap in my face.”

Bucks coach Doc Rivers addressed Antetokounmpo's comments after the 133-101 loss to Boston.

“The tough part about all this is that I’m in the middle and I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. The problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front. And we have to sit here and answer this stuff. I think there are two sides to this, I will tell you that, but I don’t want to get too involved in it.”

The Bucks still had a remote chance of earning a 10th straight playoff berth at the time of that Indiana game, but they were officially eliminated from contention last week. There’s also the possibility of Antetokounmpo getting hurt again if he returns to action — he has missed a career-high 41 games this season and had two extended absences due to calf strains.

“I understand the circumstances — yes, we’re not going to be in the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said. “For some people’s eyes, it’s not worth it for me to be out there. But for me, it’s something that goes against my nature.”

Rivers said he has a “great relationship” with Antetokounmpo and that he often talks to the superstar about what to work on and what to add to his game. Rivers added that he didn't like the “he-said, she-said” nature of this dispute and added that “this is a grown man's game, and it should be handled that way by everybody.”

“I just don’t like that this is so public," Rivers said. "This is where grown men get in a room and they talk it out. Whether they agree or disagree, that doesn’t matter. But this should not be public, and I don’t like that.”

Antetokounmpo also wanted the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother, Alex, who made his NBA debut Tuesday. There was a possibility of three Antetokounmpo brothers playing alongside each other in the same game, since Giannis’ older brother, Thanasis, also is on the Bucks.

“When my dad passed away, I pretty much raised (Alex),” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s able to be on the team and suit up and chase an opportunity to be great. You really think I don’t want to suit up and play with my brother? Anybody who thinks that is an idiot.”

Thanasis and Alex both played in the closing minutes Friday night, the first time the two brothers had played together in an NBA game.

Antetokounmpo’s desire to play — and the Bucks’ wishes to rest him — drew the attention of the National Basketball Players Association last month.

“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” the union said in a statement. “Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”

This dispute between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks comes at a time when his future in Milwaukee is uncertain. Antetokounmpo’s name dominated league-wide discussions leading up to the trade deadline, though the Bucks ultimately kept him.

Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. If he doesn’t sign the extension, Antetokounmpo could become a free agent after the 2026-27 season, or the Bucks could decide to trade him beforehand.

Now they find themselves at odds over how to handle the rest of this season.

“I don't think there's a bad person in this group - none of the guys that I'm talking about,” Rivers said. "They're all good people. But we've got to figure out how to put good people on the same page, and it stays inside. I've never been a fan of negotiating in the media. I don't think it's good for anybody.

Antetokounmpo had his own take on how this could be resolved.

“I don’t know where the relationship goes from there,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve got to go to couples therapy.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Injured Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, center right, talks with an official, center left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)