KUUSAMO, Finland (Kyodo) Daito Takahashi hung on to claim third place at a Nordic combined World Cup competition in Finland on Sunday for his first podium finish in four seasons.
Takahashi landed the day's longest jump of 133.5 meters before finishing behind Finland's Anssi Koivuranta and Janne Ryynanen in the 10-km cross-country race.
"I can't believe it. It was a pleasantly surprising development. I was lucky," Takahashi said after the competition.
It was his first podium finish since Jan. 30, 2005, when he came in second at a Nordic combined World Cup competition in Sapporo.
Takahashi last won a World Cup title in a Nordic combined event in March 2004.