Hannu Manninen wins nordic combined in Oberhof{mosimage}OBERHOF, Germany -- Finland's Hannu Manninen overcame a two-minute deficit Thursday to win his 23rd career World Cup event as the second period of the nordic combined season got underway. Manninen beat German Ronny Ackermann by 47.6 seconds in the 15-kilometer portion of the ski race.

Manninen finished in 41 minutes, 25.3 seconds to win his second race of the season. Competitors dealt with fog during the race's two jumps and cold winds throughout the race.

Ackermann took the lead on the first steep hill. But Manninen, known for his strength in the cross-country portion of the event, made up the two-minute deficit and caught Ackermann by the 12th kilometer, then accelerated past the German to open up a big lead.

Ackermann won a sprint at race's end to finish 2.2 seconds in front of third-place Felix Gottwald of Austria.

Ackermann leads the overall standings with 440 points, followed by Manninen at 386 and American Todd Lodwick with 240. -The Associated Press