Liberec, Czech Republic - France led the way after ski-jumping in the world championship Nordic combined team event on Thursday in which the fancied United States met disaster and title holders Finland had to swallow a major handicap.

The first US jumper, normal hill bronze medallist Bill Demong, was disqualified as he forgot his bib. As a result, the team led by double world champion Todd Lodwick was out of contention in 12th and last place ahead of the afternoon 4x5-kilometres cross-country relay.

The US team trails France by 3 minutes 4 seconds into the pursuit race as the French won the jumping with 470.6 points. Jason Lamy Chappuis and Francois Braud sailed
127m each, Maxime Laheurte had 120.5m and Sebastien Lacroix 116.5m.

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  - Ola Vigen Hattestad lived up to his top billing in a Norwegian one-two finish and Arianna Follis of Italy won the women's race for world titles in the cross-country skiing sprint on Tuesday.

Hattestad, 26, won the men's final over 1.6 kilometres in snowy and foggy conditions in 3 minutes 0.8 seconds.

Compatriot Johan Kjoelstad placed second and Nikolay Morilov of Russia was third ahead of Swiss World Cup leader Dario Cologna, who missed out on the podium.

Hattestad won his first big title and underlined his dominance this season in which he won five of the six World Cup sprints he competed in and came second in the other.

Liberec, Czech Republic - Johan Kjoelstad and Natalia Matveeva led qualifying in the cross-country sprint at the Nordic skiing world championships on Tuesday as defending women's champion Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen crashed out.

Norway's Kjoelstad, who has two World Cup wins to his credit, clocked 3 minutes 2.05 seconds in constant snowfall on the
1.6-kilometres course.

Andrew Newell of Canada and Russian contender Alexei Petukhov followed. Defending champion Jens Arne Svartedal, 2001 winner Tor Arne Hetland and top favourite Ola Vigen Hattestad, all of Norway, were also among the 30 qualifiers from 132 starters.

Liberec, Czech Republic - Justyna Kowalczyk became the first Polish woman to win a cross-country skiing world title and Wolfgang Loitzl ended a long ski-jumping title drought for Austria at the Nordic world championships on Saturday.

Kowalczyk, 26, passed long-time leader Kristin Stoermer Steira of Norway on the final turn to win the 15-kilometres pursuit race.

Loitzl, 29, then proved his big event qualities this year, when he added the normal hill world title to the Four Hills crown in January. He won from compatriot Gregor Schlierenzauer as Austria got its first individual ski-jump world title since Heinz Kuttin's success in 1991.

Liberec, Czech Republic - Wolfgang Loitzl was there again when it mattered on Saturday, winning the ski-jumping normal hill world title from Gregor Schlierenzauer in an Austrian one-two finish.

Loitzl, 29, soared 103.5 metres and 99m for a winning total of 282 points. The world title came six weeks after he won the prestigious Four Hills Tour.

The World Cup leader Schlierenzauer took second place with 275 points after jumps of 102m and 99m. Reigning large hill world champion Simon Ammann of Switzerland completed the podium in third place with 102m and 99.5m for 274.5 points.