The formidable German team were the strong favourites coming into the event and they did not disappoint as Rydzek earned victory in front of main rival Eric Frenzel, while Fabian Rießle did enough for the bronze medal.

The German success continued in women's ski jumping as Olympic champion Carina Vogt secured her second world crown, beating Japanese duo Yuki Ito and current FIS World Cup leader Sara Takanashi.

Frenzel, winner of the Olympic gold in the individual normal hill event at Sochi 2014, topped the standings after the ski jumping section of the event as he produced a leap of 99 metres, earning him a total of 128.1 points.

Determined not to be outdone by his compatriot, Rydzek managed to jump exactly the same distance but fell short on points, meaning Frenzel took a 14sec lead into the cross-country.

Estonia’s Kristjan Ilves was third having leapt 98m for an overall 122.2 points.

Frenzel and Rydzek skied together until the 5km mark before the defending champion began to pull away from his team-mate.

Rydzek was able to negotiate the tough conditions and continually extending his advantage before he crossed the line in a time of 26min 05.6sec, with Frenzel comfortably taking silver.

Takanashi, the dominant force in women's ski jumping, was chasing her maiden world title, but it again proved elusive as Vogt topped the podium with jumps of 98.5m and 96.5m.

The German's performance saw her finish with a total of 254.6 points, two more than Ito, who claimed another World Championships silver.

Ito scored 252.6 for her jumps of 97.0m and 96.5m, with Takanshi ending on 251.1 having leapt 98m and 95m.

The result marked Vogt's first win on the international stage since her 2015 World Championships triumph.

Action at the Nordic Ski World Championships continues tomorrow with medals due to be won in cross-country and ski jumping.