Liberec, Czech Republic  - Aino-Kaisa Saarinen won her third gold medal at the 2009 Nordic world champions on Thursday when she anchored Finland to back-to-back women's cross-country relay titles.

Saarinen made up an 8.2-second deficit on Norway at the final exchange to ensure victory in the 4x5-kilometres race in 54 minutes 24.3 seconds with Pirjo Muranen, Virpi Kuitunen and Riitta-Liisa Roponen.

Germany won a dramatic three-team sprint for silver, with Sweden third and Norway knocked off the podium in fourth place after leading at the final exchange.

"I enjoyed the race, but I wasn't sure of victory until the last uphill," said the 30-year-old Saarinen.

Japan, meanwhile, claimed a surprise first Nordic combined team event title since a 1993 and 1995 double when Norihito Kobayashi beat German Tino Edelmann in a photo-finish, with Norway third.

In the cross-country relay, Kuitunen led by more than 30 seconds after the two classic style legs at the halfway mark, but Norway's pursuit silver medallist Kristin Stoermer Steira set a brutal pace as she caught and passed Roponen in the first freestyle leg.

However, inexperienced Marthe Kristoffersen stood no chance against Saarinen on the final leg. Saarinen took the lead halfway through the final leg and cruised to victory, pumping her fists as she crossed the finish line.

Kristoffersen cried bitter tears as she also had to bow to Germany's Claudia Nystad and Sweden's Charlotte Kalla on the home stretch. Germany trailed home 13 seconds behind Finland, with Sweden finishing 13.4 and Norway 16.1 seconds adrift of the winners.

The Germans' revelation was 18-year-old Miriam Goessner, on loan from the biathlon team, who had the fourth best time overall and made up 55 seconds on the leaders to bring the team into medal contention in the third leg.

"It was a great feeling. I was competing against all those big names like Steira who I always watch on TV. Now I had to race against them," said Goessner, who was the centre of the team celebrations.

The World Cup leader Saarinen, meanwhile, is the most successful athlete in Liberec. She has medalled in every event she entered, winning gold in the 10km, team sprint
(with Kuitunen) and relay, and getting bronze in the pursuit.

"This is more than I expected from myself. Now I want to go on and have another podium," she said, looking ahead at Saturday's concluding 30km event. "Why not, a fourth gold would be nice."

Norwegian skier Ola Vigen Hattestad and American Nordic combined athlete Todd Lodwick have two golds each in Liberec.

Lodwick's dreams of another medal ended when Bill Demong was disqualified ahead of his jump on Thursday morning because he could not find his bib. The US only had three valid jumps and did then not compete in the 4x5km relay.

Kobayashi led the mass start silver medallist Edelmann and strong Norwegian skier Magnus Moan into the home stretch and then just hung on for the title in 48:32.2 minutes together with Yusuke Minato, Taihei Kato and Akito Watabe.

The Germans had the same time but lost the photo finish, while Norway trailed by 3.6 seconds for third place. Japan won from fourth place after the morning ski-jumping portion in which Germany had placed fifth and Norway sixth.

"This is a big surprise, but we had good jumps and cross-country skiing. Japan is back, we have a new generation," said Kobayashi.

Edelmann didn't know whether to laugh or cry as Germany had to settle for silver in the event the fourth time in a row.

"Of course we are happy with silver, but it was so close. I know that gold was possible," he said.

The jumping leaders France faded to fourth, Olympic champion Austria dropped from second to fifth and defending champions Finland, in the illness-related absence of World Cup leader Anssi Koivuranta, crashed from third to eighth overall.

The Nordic worlds continue on Friday with the men's 4x10km relay and the ski-jumping large hill event. (dpa)