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Tag: Magnus Moan

  • Friday Rundown: Bailey 2nd in PyeongChang; Lahti Relay & NoCo Team Sprint (Updated)

    Friday Rundown: Bailey 2nd in PyeongChang; Lahti Relay & NoCo Team Sprint (Updated)

    The men’s 10 k sprint podium at Friday’s IBU World Cup in PyeongChang, South Korea, with Austria’s Julian Eberhard (c) in first, American Lowell Bailey (l) in second, and France’s Martin Fourcade (r) in third. (Photo: IBU)

    IBU World Cup (PyeongChang, South Korea): Men’s 10 k sprint

    US Biathlon’s Lowell Bailey kept his clean-shooting streak alive with another one of his personal best results on Friday, racing to second in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup in PyeongChang, South Korea.

    Bailey started 81st and hit all 10 targets in the two-stage race to cross the finish line in first, 4.7 seconds ahead of France’s Martin Fourcade, who locked up the 2016/2017 overall World Cup title with an eventual third-place finish on Friday.

    An even later starter in bib 90, Austria’s Julian Eberhard rocketed to his third-career World Cup victory (and second win this season), cleaning both stages and topping Bailey’s time by 40.7 seconds. That bumped Bailey to second place and Fourcade to third, for Bailey’s second World Cup podium this season (including his win in the 20 k individual at IBU World Championships).

    In the last five non-relay races, including four at World Championships, Bailey has not placed outside the top six. And in all of those races, he’s only had one miss.

    Bailey is up to ninth in the World Cup Total Score standings. Fourcade ran away with the season-long title in first, now that he’s 360 points ahead of Russia’s Anton Shipulin in second.

    While Eberhard and Bailey shot clean on Friday, Fourcade missed two — one on each stage (1+1) — but made up for it with the fastest course time. Eberhard had the second-fastest course time and fastest shooting time of the 102-man field.

    Austria nearly had two on the podium with Dominik Landertinger finishing fourth (+48.1), 2.7 seconds out of third, with clean shooting.

    Three Canadians finished in the top 60 to qualify for Saturday’s pursuit, with Scott Gow in 27th (+1:40.3) with two penalties (1+1), Brendan Green following in 28th (+1:42.1) with one miss (0+1) for his first individual top 30 of the season, and Christian Gow in 56th (+2.33.6) with two prone penalties (2+0). Nathan Smith finished 88th (+3:32.5) with two standing misses (0+2) in his first World Cup race since early December, and Macx Davies finished 98th (+4:20.2) with four penalties (3+1).

    For the U.S., Leif Nordgren placed 37th (+2:03.7) with two misses (1+1) to qualify for the pursuit, along with Bailey. Sean Doherty was 80th (+3:13.3) with two penalties (1+1) and Paul Schommer 101st (+4:38.1) with five misses (3+2).

    Results

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    FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Nordic Combined 2 x 7.5 k team sprint

    The nordic combined 2 x 7.5 k team sprint podium on Friday at 2017 Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Finland, with Germany’s Johannes Rydzek and Eric Frenzel in first (c), Norway’s Magnus Moan and Magnus Krog in second (l) and Japan’s Yoshito and Akito Watabe in third (r). (Photo: FIS Nordic Combined/Twitter)

    [UPDATED] Johannes Rydzek and Team Germany completed the World Championships sweep on Friday, with Rydzek teaming up with Eric Frenzel to win the final nordic-combined competition of 2017 Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Finland: the 2 x 7.5-kilometer team sprint.

    Rydzek won all four NoCo competitions over the past week, including two individual events and two team events.

    On Friday, he and Frenzel, the defending World Cup champion, jumped to second and started the 2 x 7.5 k cross-country race 16 seconds behind France’s Maxime Laheurte and François Braud, who jumped to first. The Frenchmen both posted jumps of 125 meters for a total of 264.2 points. Frenzel and Rydzek, meanwhile, scored 256.1 points after jumps of 125.5 and 122 meters.

    The Germans pulled off a 1-second win over Norway, finishing in 28:45.8 minutes, while Norway’s Magnus Moan and Magnus Krog claimed silver after starting the ski race in fourth, 24 seconds behind France. Together, the Norwegians posted the fastest course time, and Moan skied the fastest 7.5 k (13:53).

    “It’s still unbelievable,” Rydzek told German broadcaster ARD. “The race today was so suspenseful again, down to the last curve with the lapped athlete [Russia]. I knew that I am very fast on the homestretch, and had explicitly looked at that section before the race. Eric did a great job today, and despite all circumstances pointing against us we managed to do it again today. Just cool to be back on the top of the podium with Eric.”

    Just a couple hundred meters before the finish, Rydzek used the moment when they approached the lapped Russian athlete to slingshot between him and Krog and gained a decisive edge.

    “I was scared of that situation with the lapped athlete, because that was really close,” Frenzel told ARD. “I thought, ‘What is he doing out there?’ But in the end you can rely on Johannes to solve that like a world champion, that was top.

    “We knew ahead of time that Lahti suits us well, that we can be good here if the conditions work out,” he added. “So we are very happy to be able to go home with so many medals.”

    Japan took the final spot on the podium after brothers Yoshito and Akito Watabe jumped to third, started 18 seconds after France, and held their position to finish for third place, 10.2 seconds after Germany.

    Austria’s Wilhelm Denifl and Bernhard Gruber missed bronze by half a second in fourth (+10.7) after starting in fifth, and France ended up fifth (+11.5).

    Nearly a minute later, Italy placed sixth (+1:10.6) and Finland seventh (+1:10.7). The Czech Republic followed in eighth (+1:26.4), and the U.S. was ninth (+1:48.1) with Bryan and Taylor Fletcher after starting 12th and 2:08 out of first. The Fletcher brothers recorded the second-fastest course time out of 14 teams.

    “Taylor did a good job stepping up in competition and it gave me motivation to step up as well,” Bryan said, according to a U.S. Ski Team press release. “Unfortunately I wanted it a little too much and didn’t have the jump I am capable of.

    “The races went well but we were just too far back,” he continued. “We had the second fastest time as a team overall, which is solid and continually shows our strength on that side of the sport.”

    Final results | Jumping

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    FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Men’s 4 x 10 k relay

    The men’s 4 x 10 k relay podium at 2017 Nordic World Championships, with Norway (c) in first, Russia (l) in second, and Sweden (r) in third. (Photo: FIS Cross-Country/Twitter)

    The men’s 4 x 10-kilometer relay as the last team event of 2017 Nordic World Championships came down to a two-way battle for gold between none other than Norway and Russia on Friday in Lahti, Finland,

    The two teams skied in either first or second throughout the four-leg race, with Russia’s Andrey Larkov tagging Alexander Bessmertnykh 2.9 seconds ahead of Norway’s first leg Didrik Tønseth, then Bessmertnykh coming through the second exchange just half a second ahead of Norway’s Niklas Dyrhaug.

    Behind them, Finland skied alone in third place at the race’s halfway point, but was ultimately swallowed by the chase pack on the third leg.

    On that third leg, Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby worked hard to drop Russia’s Alexey Chervotkin, and eventually did so, coming through the final exchange 17.7 seconds ahead. That gave Norway’s anchor Finn Hågen Krogh just enough of a gap on Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, and he was able to hold off Ustiugov by 4.6 seconds at the finish to give Norway the gold in 1:37:20.1 hours.

    Russia claimed silver and Sweden outlasted Switzerland for bronze after Calle Halfvarsson attacked in the final kilometer to drop Finland’s Matti Heikkinen and Germany’s Lucas Bögl. Halfvarsson finished 2:31.8 minutes out of first, and just 0.2 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Curdin Perl for third place for Sweden (which included teammates Daniel Rickardsson, Johan Olsson and Marcus Hellner).

    Switzerland was fourth (+2:32) with Jason Rueesch, Jonas Baumann, Dario Cologna and Perl, Finland fifth (+2:42.4) with Sami Jauhojärvi, Niskanen, Lari Lehtonen, and Heikkinen, and Germany sixth (+2:42.8) with Thomas Bing, Jonas Dobler, Florian Notz, and Bögl.

    France finished seventh (+3:52), Italy eighth (+5:29.8), Kazakhstan ninth (+5:30.6), and the U.S. 10th (+5:31.3). The U.S. team (Kyle Bratrud, Erik Bjornsen, Tad Elliott, Simi Hamilton) skied in 11th for most of the race before Hamilton moved them up to 10th with the sixth-fastest anchor leg.

    Canada (Graeme Killick, Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey, Len Valjas) ended up 12th after being lapped on the last leg. In 14th at the first exchange, Kershaw moved them up to 13th, then Harvey put them in 12th with one leg to go.

    Results

  • Sunday Rundown: Lahti and Osrblie (Updated x2)

    Sunday Rundown: Lahti and Osrblie (Updated x2)

    Heidi Weng and Maiken Caspersen Fall of Norway (center) bested Yulia Belorukova and Natalia Matveeva of Russia (left) for gold in the women’s team sprint at 2017 World Championships, with Sadie Bjornsen and Jessie Diggins of the U.S. (right) outsprinting Sweden for bronze. (Photo: FIS Cross Country/Twitter)

    FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Classic team sprints

    Defending champions Norway repeated gold in the women’s team sprint, with Heidi Weng and Maiken Caspersen Falla crossing the finish line first in Lahti, Finland. On the second-to-last loop, it looked like Russia could have something to say about that. Yulia Belorukova put in a furious sprint up the course’s biggest climb, and then beat Weng to the exchange. But her teammate Natalia Matveeva could not match the pace when Falla put on her own sprint on the last uphill. Russia finished second for silver, +5.56.

    The competition for bronze was closer, with Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the United States going out of the stadium for the last loop together in chase of the Norwegian and Russian leaders. The last climb was defining in the race for bronze, with Jessie Diggins of the United States staying closest to Sweden’s Stina Nilsson. Diggins caught Nilsson on the downhill and was able to stay just ahead of the Swede to the finish, claiming bronze (+18.38) along with teammate Sadie Bjornsen. It was a return to the team sprint podium for Diggins: after winning the team sprint at 2013 World Championships with Kikkan Randall, she teamed up with Sophie Caldwell in 2015 but the pair finished eighth.

    Nilsson and Ida Ingemarsdotter settled for fourth (+18.57), and the Finnish team of Aino-Kaisa Saarinen and Kerttu Niskanen finished fifth (+23.02).

    The Canadian team of Cendrine Browne and Dahria Beatty was seventh in their semifinal and landed 13th overall.

    In the men’s team sprint, Norway set a high pace from the beginning, with phenom Johannes Høsflot Klæbo attacking on the steep uphill every time he skied. On his second and third loops, he tagged off to Emil Iversen with gaps of just over five seconds to the rest of the field. But Iversen had a hard time holding the lead, in part because of Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, who had won the 30 k skiathlon the day before and put in a huge effort to catch Iversen on the fourth loop of the team sprint.

    On the final loop, Finland’s Iivo Niskanen bridged the gap up to Iversen, mostly on the steep uphill and then also with ski speed on the downhill. But the time the pair entered the stadium, Niskanen had caught the Norwegian and was moving with higher speed. He decided to switch tracks to overtake Iversen, but Iversen decided to switch tracks just a second later, without checking one last time to make sure the track was clear. He fell, taking out Niskanen with him.

    That allowed Ustiugov and Italy’s Federico Pellegrino to go sailing by to claim gold and silver (+2.14) with their teammates Nikita Kriukov and Dietmar Noeckler. It was the second gold for Russia in the event in three World Championships; Kriukov and Alexey Petukhov won in 2013, and also took silver in 2015.

    Niskanen got up and claimed bronze (+8.64 with Sami Jauhojärvi), swearing as he crossed the finish line; with a broken pole, Iversen limped across the line in fourth (+18.42). He was called to a jury meeting but ultimately no teams were disqualified because of the crash.

    Erik Bjornsen of the United States won a sprint finish for fifth (+23.58) with teammate Simi Hamilton), besting Lenny Valjas (+27.02 with teammate Alex Harvey) of Canada.

    Results: women | men

    ***

    FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Nordic combined 4 x 5 k team event

    Germany (Björn Kircheisen, Eric Frenzel, Fabian Rießle, and Johannes Rydzek) took gold in the nordic combined 4 x 5 k team event on Sunday at Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Finland, while Norway placed second and Austria third. (Photo: FIS Nordic Combined/Twitter)

    [UPDATED] After sweeping the first individual nordic-combined competition of 2017 Nordic World Championships on Friday, Germany achieved gold as a team, with Björn Kircheisen, Eric Frenzel, Fabian Rießle, and Johannes Rydzek winning the 4 x 5-kilometer team event in 47:57.3.

    The Germans combined for the best jumping score of 11 teams and started the relay in first, 44 seconds ahead of Japan in second. Norway started 1:07 minutes back in fifth but rose to second place (+41.7), with Magnus Moan, Mikko Kokslein, Magnus Krog, and Jørgen Graabak. Moan raced them into third at the first exchange, then Kokslein secured second, which they held onto for the remaining two legs.

    “It was our goal to ski a controlled race,” Germany’s Frenzel told ZDF. “Not really look at how the gap was developing, but just make our own race. And put up a little more pressure towards the end of each leg. That worked well, that was a wickedly cool team performance today. And I am just happy that we could put a little golden crown on the whole event today.”

    “I think today you could see again that we all worked together and enjoyed the competition,” Rydzek added. “We were all happy about each other’s performance, and just rewarded ourselves for hard hard work.”

    Austria started fourth, 1:05 behind Norway, and clinched bronze (+1:03.7) with Bernhard Gruber, Mario Seidl, Philipp Orter, and Paul Gerstgraser. Gruber initially raced them into second at the first exchange, but they relinquished one spot and hung on for third, ahead of Japan in fourth (+1:06).

    Japan (Hideaki Nagai, Takehiro Watanabe, Yoshito Watabe, and Akito Watabe) jumped to second, but found themselves in fourth at every exchange.

    Finland took fifth, Italy sixth, France seventh, and the U.S. eighth (+3:27.2) with Bryan Fletcher, Taylor Fletcher, Ben Berend, and Ben Loomis. The Americans started the race in seventh and were in sixth after the first two exchanges, but slipped to eighth on the third leg.

    Results

    ***

    IBU Youth/Junior World Championships (Osrblie, Slovakia): Youth & junior pursuits

    Four seems to be Chloe Levins’s lucky number. After a career breakthrough of fourth place in the pursuit at last year’s Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Lillehammer, Norway, the 18-year-old Vermonter raced to fourth in the youth women’s 7.5-kilometer pursuit on Sunday at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Youth/Junior World Championships in Osrblie, Slovakia.

    Italy’s Irene Lardschneider winning the youth women’s 7.5 k pursuit on Sunday for her second-straight gold at 2017 IBU Youth World Championships in Osrblie, Slovakia. (Photo: IBU)

    Levins started the race in 11th and worked her way up to fourth with clean shooting in three stages. She missed two in the first prone but rebounded and held off Ukraine’s Khrystyna Dmytrenko by seven seconds for fourth place. Levins finished 1:55.5 minutes behind the winner, Italy’s Irene Lardschneider, who started the race first and held on for her second-straight gold medal despite four penalties (0+0+2+2), finishing in 26:57.1. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot-Laurent rose from fourth to second place with 19-for-20 shooting (0+0+1+0), and Italy’s Samuela Comola took bronze (+1:08.5) for the second-straight race with two misses (1+0+1+0).

    Three U.S. women qualified for the pursuit, with Amanda Kautzer finishing 42nd (+6:16.2) after starting 59th and shooting 80 percent (1+0+2+1), and Grace Gilliland finishing 55th (+8:32.1) with six penalties (2+3+1+0).

    Canada’s Shilo Rousseau followed in 54th (+9:02.1) with eight misses (3+1+2+2).

    Results: Youth women

    In the junior women’s 10 k pursuit, Canada’s Megan Bankes raced to 16th for the best finish for a North American in that race. The gold medalist in last week’s 12.5 k individual, Bankes finished 13th in Saturday’s sprint and thus started in that position, 1:25 out of first. She ended up 16th with four penalties (0+1+2+1) and finished 2:15.8 behind the winner, Russia’s Valeriia Vasnetcova, who started 24th and worked her way all the way up to first with clean shooting.

    Vasnetcova was the only one to clean the four-stage pursuit on Sunday, and in doing so, she achieved her first gold of the championships and second of her career at Youth/Junior Worlds after her team won last year’s youth relay in Romania.

    Coming off a sprint win, Italy’s Michela Carrara started first and took second at the finish, 10 seconds behind Vasnetcova with three misses (1+1+1+0). Norway’s Ingrid Tandrevold scored her second-straight medal as well, after starting second and finishing third (+10.8), with two penalties (0+0+1+1).

    Canada’s Nadia Moser had her best result of the championships in 30th (+3:43.5), moving up one place after starting 31st, with three penalties (0+1+0+2). Emily Dickson finished 47th for the second-straight day (+6:29.9) with four penalties (1+0+1+2).

    Siena Ellingson was the lone American to start after placing 18th in Saturday’s sprint. She finished 41st (+5:24.7) with seven misses (1+2+1+3).

    Results: Junior women

    In the junior men’s 12.5 k pursuit, Canada’s Pearce Hanna rocketed to 23rd after starting 47th, shooting 17-for-20 after cleaning the first two stages (0+0+1+2) for his first top 30 of the championships. Hanna finished 3:12 behind the winner, Russia’s Igor Malinovskii who picked up his second-straight gold.

    Malinovskii started first and finished in 32:39.8, 13 seconds ahead of second place, with four penalties (0+1+2+1). Norway’s Sindre Pettersen took the silver medal after starting in eighth and posting the fastest course time to overcome five misses (2+1+1+1). Belarus’s Anton Smolski moved up from fourth at the start to reach the podium in third (+27.4) with five misses as well (0+0+3+2).

    All four Canadian junior men qualified for the pursuit. Trevor Kiers led them in 39th (+5:13.3), after starting 48th, for his best result of the championships. Jules Burnotte placed 43rd (+5:35.3), up from 55th, for his best result as well, and Zachari Bolduc finished 57th (+8:18.3). Kiers missed five targets (2+0+1+2), Burnotte had seven misses (3+1+1+2), and Bolduc missed eight (2+3+2+1).

    For the U.S., Cody Johnson finished 55th (+7:19.5) with nine penalties (2+1+2+4) and Travis Cooper 59th (+8:46.2) with eight misses (5+0+1+2).

    Results: Junior men

    In the youth men’s 10 k pursuit, the first race of the day on Sunday, two Canadians finished in the top 30, with Leo Grandbois in 22nd and Adam Runnalls in 27th.

    For Grandbois, it was his first time outside the top 15 of the championships after he had won the youth men’s 12.5 k individual last Wednesday and finished 14th in Friday’s 7.5 k sprint. He had to ski six penalty loops on Sunday (0+2+2+2), dropping outside the top 20 after the third shooting. Grandbois finished 3:21.8 behind the winner, France’s Emilien Claude, who won the sprint as well to start the pursuit first.

    Claude, who had four penalties (1+1+0+2) and finished in 29:22.4, held off Italy’s hard-charging Cedric Christille by 16 seconds after Christille shot just two penalties (0+0+1+1) to move up from fourth to second for his first medal in his first Youth World Championships. Germany’s Danilo Riethmüller rose from sixth to third place (+30.7) despite four misses (1+0+1+2). For the German, it was his second bronze of these championships after placing third in the 12.5 k individual.

    Canada’s Runnalls moved up from 32nd at the start to 27th at the finish (+3:47.5) for his first top 30 of the championships. He had five penalties (1+3+1+0), but cleaned the last stage to move into the top 30.

    Vasek Cervenka was the lone American to qualify in the youth men’s pursuit, and he moved up from 49th at the start to 30th (+3:52) with five penalties (1+1+1+2).

    Results: Youth men

  • Taylor Fletcher Seventh on Day 2 of Summer Grand Prix

    Taylor Fletcher Seventh on Day 2 of Summer Grand Prix

    Taylor Fletcher racing to the fastest time on the day and 7th overall in Oberwiesenthal, Ger. (Photo Sandra Volk, FIS).
    Taylor Fletcher (26) racing to the fastest time on the day and several overall at the Summer Grand Prix in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. (Photo Sandra Volk/FIS)

    End of August. It’s not quite transition season yet. Leaves are green, there’s still the possibility of sweltering humidity, and if you’re inclined to fly off 100-meter ski jumping hills sans snow, the International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix has you covered.

    Last weekend, Oberwiesenthal, Germany, hosted the two-day opening round of the Summer Grand Prix. Although months away from on-snow events, jumping and racing on rollerskis against some of the best in the world is an incomparable way to size up dryland training.

    Saturday featured a team sprint (teams of two) with a combined score jump followed by a 15-kilometer (2 x 7.5 k) race. Host Germany took the top prize. Germany I, with Björn Kircheisen and Eric Frenzel, placed first. Norway I (Jan Schmid and Magnus Moan) took second (+18.8), and Austria I (Bernhard Gruber and Philipp Orter) finished third (+19.7).

    The U.S. entered two teams: Taylor Fletcher and Ben Berend for U.S. I and Jasper Good and Stephen Schumann for U.S. II.

    Fletcher and Berend finished the jumping round in 14th; Good and Schumann ranked 19th. U.S. I held its 14th place after the ski portion, finishing 2:24.5 behind the winners. U.S. II ended the day in 18th overall.

    Sunday’s normal hill/individual 10 k was a new day for U.S Nordic Combined’s reigning national champ Taylor Fletcher. (Of note: The race weekend featured half of the Fletcher clan. Taylor’s older brother Bryan remained in Park City, Utah, as he and his wife were expecting their first child. They welcomed their baby girl, Ellery Ardene Fletcher, on Monday, Aug. 29.)

    Best off the jumping hill on Sunday, Aug. 28, was Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber. Taylor Fletcher jumped to 26th place. He started the ski portion 2 minutes and 25 seconds after Riiber.

    Reading between the lines, Fletcher made progress in the jump portion. He flew eight meters farther on Sunday compared to his effort the previous day.

    “Today was a good step forward,” Fletcher said Sunday about his Day 2 jump in a USSA press release. “I am pleased, for sure, but know I still have my work to do. I have had some really good jumps lately but haven’t had them in the competition yet. Today I put in a great jump after my miss yesterday (in team sprint) so that was a great feeling. I think this will help me relax knowing that with a jump like this I am in the hunt with my skiing, but of course the goal is to make it easier on the cross country side.”

    Schumann jumped to 31st, while U.S. teammate Ben Loomis was 33rd.

    Making it easier on the cross-country side was Fletcher’s performance trademark of tracking down early starters. On Sunday, he was true to form and strategy.

    Norway's Jarl Riiber rolls in first. (Photo: Sandra Volk FIS)
    Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber crosses the line first last weekend for Day 2 of the Summer Grand Prix in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. (Photo: Sandra Volk/FIS)

    Fletcher’s 24:28.9 marked the fastest rollerski time of the day, and brought him within 10.2 seconds of race winner Riiber, who finished in 26:43.7 . The hard-charging effort earned Fletcher seventh-place overall.

    “I was happy with the weekend for sure,” Fletcher wrote in an email to FasterSkier. “I have been focusing on the jumping way more this year and with the addition of our new jump coach and philosophy I have been able to improve way more. I had pretty solid jumps in Oberwiesenthal but still not my best jumps so that is exciting knowing I can still jump better. I will try to keep those feelings with me as we get ready for competition [on Wednesday] in Villach, Austria.”

    Behind Riiber on the podium were Austria’s Mario Seidl (+2.8) in second and Germany’s Kircheisen in third.

    For the U.S., Schumann finished 42nd (+3:23.3), Ben Loomis was 45th (+4:11.7), while Adam Loomis did not start the ski portion after being disqualified for a suit violation during the jumping portion.

    Asked why the team headed to Europe for the Grand Prix, Fletcher explained the race series provides a fitness litmus test against some of the best in the world.

    “We come to Europe for these races to see where our form is at the moment, but also to get some competition and practice in,” he wrote. “These races are no different than the World Cups in the winter with the exception that a few people may be absent. Another reason we come over is for the equipment. All the jumping manufacturers are based in Europe and it is difficult to get equipment sent the USA. Also, every year the rules for jumping are changed and unless you are at a competition, it is hard to know if you bindings, suits, skis, gloves, helmets, undersuits are legal or not. Coming to Summer Grand Prix allows us to check out our equipment with the officials so we know we are inline with the rules and won’t get disqualified for unknown reasons.”

    Fletcher elaborated on how jumping differs in the summer compared to jumping in colder, more dense, wintertime air. “The only thing that is different in the summer and winter is the air pressure really,” he wrote. “The surface is different but over time it starts to feel more like snow and the landing and in-run start to feel close. In the summer the temp is high causing the pressure to drop a little, especially in Park City and that makes the jumping a little harder. So without the air pressure, it sometimes feels like you are falling instead of flying through the air. The best jumping happens when the temperature is very cold(-F) as the air is very thick and you feel way more pressure under neath you! The speed is relatively the same as, the slope the hill doesn’t change from summer to winter.”

    Bryan Fletcher holding his newborn, Ellery Ardene Fletcher. Fletcher and his wife Nikki welcomed their baby girl on Monday. (Photo: USSA Nordic)
    Bryan Fletcher holding his newborn, Ellery Ardene Fletcher. Fletcher and his wife Nikki welcomed their baby girl on Monday. (Photo: USSA Nordic/Facebook)

    On Wednesday in Villach, Fletcher did not start the normal hill/10 k competition and final day of the Grand Prix. His teammate Berend led the U.S. in 33rd after posting the 19th-best jump, Ben Loomis finished 42nd after jumping to 31st, and Adam Loomis was 50th, improving upon his 57th-ranked jump.

    Austria’s Seidl won at home with a 12.9-second victory over Germany’s Fabian Riessle, and Norway’s Håvard Klemetsen placed third (+15.1).

    Now an uncle, Fletcher planned to head home to Park City after the Grand Prix series and spend the month prior to the start of the winter season training in Europe.

    Results: Day 1 team sprint | Day 2 individual 10 k | Day 3 individual 10 k

  • Bryan Fletcher Puts Himself in Medal Hunt, Finishes Career-Best Fifth at World Champs

    Bryan Fletcher Puts Himself in Medal Hunt, Finishes Career-Best Fifth at World Champs

    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) racing to fifth in while skiing with a chase pack during Thursday's 10 k at 2015 World Championships.
    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) racing to fifth in while skiing with a chase pack during Thursday’s 10 k at 2015 World Championships.

    FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, is brought to you by the generous support of L.L. Bean, now featuring a complete line of Kikkan Randall training wear.

    FALUN, Sweden — Bryan Fletcher knew there was one thing that could elevate him to the podium on Thursday at FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and it wasn’t going to be playing it safe.

    The 28-year-old U.S. Nordic Combined skier decided to go with the “go-big” mindset on the 134-meter large hill, and in doing so, he jumped to 13th on Thursday morning — a huge improvement from his 20th-ranked jump in the normal-hill individual competition at Falun World Championships, where he ended up 21st last Friday.

    Bryan Fletcher, USA, jumping in Sunday’s team event at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)
    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined)  jumping in Sunday’s four-man team event at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)

    “Today, I came into jumping in attack mode,” Fletcher recalled after Thursday’s 10-kilometer Gundersen start. “It was like, ‘Well since these are the Championships, and it’s not really worth being anything but on the podium, I’m just going to go for it as hard as possible and lay it all out there.’ ”

    Starting the race 13th and 44 seconds behind the jump leader, Austria’s Bernhard Gruber, meant Fletcher could actually move up enough to matter.

    “I jumped pretty well, put myself in contention, and then going into the race I was pretty nervous because being in contention is exciting but it’s also like, ‘Uh oh, now what do I do?’ ” Fletcher said.

    Before Thursday, his previous individual best in four World Championships was 14th. He won a World Cup two years ago, but had not placed better than fifth in an individual competition since. He called upon his experience from a month ago in Sapporo, Japan, where he placed eighth and ninth in back-to-back World Cup competitions.

    On a dark-and-damp Thursday afternoon, Gruber took off 5 seconds ahead of France’s Jason Lamy Chappuis in second and another Frenchman, Francois Braud, who started 7 seconds back in third. After that, the fifth- through eighth-best jumpers started within six seconds of one another, 23 to 29 seconds after Gruber, and Fletcher headed out six seconds after 11th and one second out of 12th.

    “My goal was to ski a tactically smart race and not be in the front too much, but do enough work to put myself in contention,” Fletcher explained.

    He ended up completing the first of four 2.5 k laps in 10th, toward the front of a 14-man pack. The group trailed the three frontrunners: Lamy Chappuis, Gruber and Braud, respectively. Japan’s Yoshito Watabe skied alone in fourth, 15 seconds behind them, while the chase pack reined him in from another 15 seconds back.

    By 3.8 k, Norway’s Magnus Moan continued to lead the chase in fourth, with Fletcher in eighth and Watabe back in 11th. By the halfway point, the group was 30 seconds behind the three leaders, with Moan still in fourth, Germany’s Johannes Rydzek and Tino Edelman in fifth and sixth, and Fletcher up to seventh. Less than a kilometer and a half later, Fletcher was at the front of the pack in fourth, just 19.3 seconds behind the top three.

    There, the American pushed to bridge the gap to the podium. Mostly focused on a medal, he gave his all while leading at least 11 others directly behind him.

    “There were a lot of guys in our pack,” he said. “I think at one point it was all the way from third to 20th, and if you glance over your shoulder, you’re like, ‘Oh man, what am I doing at the front of this thing? I’m wasting so much energy.’ But at the same time, the guys that were at the front, myself included, were kind of really trying to get more people to share in the workload because we wanted to ultimately catch the front of the race and then be able to work past that.

    “I think we were caught in a zone where we were working, and then also trying to rest at the same time,” he added. “It was tough to organize, but I feel like Magnus and I did a good job of sharing the workload as much as possible, and then also breaking away from the rest of the guys in that train to give ourselves a shot.”

    With one lap to go, Fletcher was still in fourth, 20 seconds out of third. Moan clung to him in fifth, and Rydzek skied in sixth, followed by 10 others. Over the next 2.5 k, Moan attacked, Rydzek went with him and Fletcher worked to stay in the fight for fourth, while the rest of the pack dropped off the pace.

    “I jumped on them and was actually really surprised when I looked back and we were clear of the group,” Fletcher said. “I was kind of relieved because I knew it was just us, and we were catching up to third place really fast so I was going all out trying to get there.”

    American Bryan Fletcher (l) after finishing fifth to Austria's Bernhard Gruber (1) in the individual large hill/10 k at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. It was Fletcher's World Championships career best and a season best as well.
    American Bryan Fletcher (l) after finishing fifth to Austria’s Bernhard Gruber (1) in the individual large hill/10 k at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. It was Fletcher’s World Championships career best and a season best as well.

    While Moan and Rydzek charged to the finish, Fletcher lost contact on the last two uphills. Gruber cruised into the stadium and finish uncontested to win in 22:45.8, 11.9 seconds ahead of Braud in second. Rydzek and Moan overtook Lamy Chappuis in the last kilometer and sprinted to the line for third. Rydzek took it by 0.2 seconds, 14.9 seconds after Gruber, Moan settled for fourth, and 8.3 seconds later, Fletcher finished fifth (+23.4).

    “I was hoping I could beat those guys on the hill, but they were strong, they skied a great race, and obviously I [felt] the legs at the end,” Fletcher said. “This is a personal-best result this season for me and in a World Championship event. To be on the podium would have been a dream come true, but to be in the fight was more what I was really looking for.

    For me, I really just want to ski a good race, a good race to the best of my ability and the best of my performance,” he added. “I was happy that I was able to do that today and I was in the fight.”

    “To be on the podium would have been a dream come true, but to be in the fight was more what I was really looking for.” — Bryan Fletcher, fifth for a career-best individual result at World Championships

    His younger brother Taylor, who jumped to 34th and raced up to 29th, 1:51.7 after Gruber, patted him on the shoulder afterward.

    “I think that’s the best [U.S. Nordic Combined has] done since 2009 for an individual result so hats off to him,” Taylor said of Bryan’s new World Championships marker. Teammate Billy Demong won the large hill/10 k at 2009 worlds in Liberec, Czech Republic, and in 2011, he placed sixth in the same event.

    “[Bryan] really pulled it together today and skied a smart race by the looks of it, and was able to finish hard, which is the most important thing here,” Taylor said.

    The second American on Thursday, Taylor wasn’t pleased with his performance after putting himself 2:01 back after the jump.

    “It’s hard to say what could’ve been,” he said. “But knowing how I’ve been skiing, I could’ve been up there for that medal. I’ve had a lot of really good jumps and I’ve had huge improvements in my last competitions, and I gotta be satisfied with that but at the same time I’m really disappointed … when it came time to show that work and that effort, I fell short a little bit.”

    While Bryan posted the eighth-fastest course time, Taylor, 24, ranked 10th fastest of 47 men in the 10 k.

    “I’m probably the most competitive guy out here,” Taylor said. “I yelled at guys in the track earlier because I just wanted to go. I can’t settle for something. I want it more and more and I’m going to work my ass off to get it.”

    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) after finishing fifth in the large hill/10 k at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden, for an individual season best and career best at World Championships.
    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) after finishing fifth in the large hill/10 k at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden, for an individual season best and career best at World Championships.

    Also for the U.S., Demong went from 30th in the jump to 33rd overall (+2:27.3), and Adam Loomis improved from 44th to 41st (+3:46.5) at the end of the day.

    With one competition left at World Championships — the 2 x 7.5 k team sprint — Taylor, for one, was looking for redemption.

    “I know what I did on the hill and what happened and I’ve got one more event [the two-man team sprint] on Saturday, where it’s probably going to be Bryan and I and that’s gonna be special,” he said. “Hell, if he’s skis like he did today, and I jump better on the hill like I know I can, there’s no reason in hell why we shouldn’t be first, second or third.”

    Results

  • Bryan Fletcher, Billy Demong Post Season Bests at First-Ever Nordic Combined Triple in Seefeld

    Bryan Fletcher, Billy Demong Post Season Bests at First-Ever Nordic Combined Triple in Seefeld

    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) jumping to ninth on Day 2 of the Nordic Combined World Cup Triple in Seefeld, Austria. Fletcher improved to sixth in the 10 k. (Photo: Fast Big Dog)
    Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) jumping to ninth on Day 2 of the Nordic Combined World Cup Triple in Seefeld, Austria. Fletcher improved to sixth in the 10 k. (Photo: Fast Big Dog)

    Billed as the premier nordic-combined event of the season, the first-ever Nordic Combined Triple ended up being a perfect platform for American Bryan Fletcher to produce his best results of the season. From Jan. 17-19  in Seefeld, Austria, there were three consecutive days of competition with a total of four competition jumps and three races of 5-, 10- and 15-kilometers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.

    “Simply put, I was happy with all three of my races this weekend,” Fletcher wrote in an email after he ended up a season-best fifth overall. “Each day I improved a bit and ended with perhaps my best performance on Sunday!”

    Bryan Fletcher after posting the 19th best jump on the normal hill Friday at the World Championships opener in Predazzo, Italy.
    Bryan Fletcher at last year’s World Championships in Predazzo, Italy.

    He has plenty of reason to be happy, skiing his way to a season-best sixth in Friday’s opening prologue, ranking 11th in the jump and skiing the 16th -fastest 5 k to finish 25.2 seconds behind German winner Eric Frenzel, who won all three races for the Triple title.

    Fletcher repeated his performance on Saturday, with the ninth-best jump and 10th-fastest 10 k time to place sixth (+57.4 behind Frenzel), and then improved one spot in Sunday’s pursuit-style competition to finish the weekend in fifth (+47.6), after the seventh-best jump and seventh-fastest 15 k.

    It has been a season of steady improvement for Fletcher, with this weekend’s results in Seefeld putting him into 11th place in the overall World Cup standings, tied with Lukas Klapfer of Austria, which makes Fletcher the top-ranked North American.

    Fellow U.S. Ski Team member Bill Demong also had a strong weekend, finishing a season-best eighth (+27.0) on Friday with a 17th ranked jump and a 12th-fastest ski, despite breaking a pole in the 5 k. On Saturday, Demong ended up 12th (+1:39.6), with the 20th -best jump and eighth-fastest ski. On Sunday, he wrapped up the Triple in 11th , after jumping to 22nd and starting the 15 k race 3:42 minutes back. Demong skied the third-fastest time of the day, making up nearly two minutes to finish 1:54.7 back from Frenzel. Demong’s strong results come despite some bad luck, with Friday’s broken pole “costing him a podium opportunity,” and a “not great” jump on Sunday putting him farther behind for the race.

    “Even though I had my best race of the year on Sunday I was only able to move up to 11th place,” Demong wrote in an email. “I like that [the distances] changed every day but certainly my strength is in longer distances,” he continued. “It was awesome to do 15 k again, though!”

    Billy Demong at 2013 World Championships in Predazzo, Italy.
    Billy Demong at 2013 World Championships in Predazzo, Italy.

    The weekend’s results put Demong into 22nd in the overall World Cup standings, tied with Austria’s Mario Stecher.

    Frenzel won each race of the weekend and finished in first overall, extending his lead in the overall World Cup standings. Haavard Klemetsen of Norway finished second (+21.2) in the Triple and fellow Norwegian Magnus Moan placed third (+29.1).

    Both Fletcher and Demong were pleased with the new race format.

    “I like that it is different, it adds pressure with the mini-tour format I hope they continue offering new events like this,” Demong wrote, while Fletcher called it a “nice change of pace from our normal schedule.”

    Both skiers also felt that the increased importance of skiing, due to the longer distances, catered to their strengths.

    “The distance increase each day made the competitions progressively harder and allowed the stinger skiers to show their strength” Fletcher wrote in an email. “Each day it was easy for me to improve. Our training is concrete and so each day I felt better than the previous day.”

    When asked how Seefeld’s results will translate to the coming Olympics in Sochi, Russia, both skiers became a bit more circumspect.

    “I don’t think this weekend’s results are anything suggestive,” Fletcher wrote. “The Olympics are a different animal and anything can happen.”

    Demong is cautiously optimistic, saying that preparations were going well. “I’ve had my best jumps in years, maybe ever, but I need to get it out in competition for sure. Cross country is going well and I’m looking forward to putting on the finishing touches and peaking!”

    Both skiers are training in Park City, Utah, and will head to Germany shortly before the Olympics to train and break up the travel. They will focus on speed work to train and create a fitness peak just in time for the Olympics. They head to Sochi on Feb. 6th. Both men are optimistic, but Fletcher is the more cautious of the two.

    “I think that the best is yet to come,” Demong wrote, “I like that, while I’m not the favorite, I’m on everyone’s radar.”

    “We will just have to see what happens when we get there,” Fletcher wrote.

    Americans Taylor Fletcher and Brett Denney competed on the first day of the Seefeld Triple, finishing in 56th (+1:54.5) and 63rd (+2:37.1), respectively, just outside the top 50 required to advance to Day 2.

    Results: Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Overall World Cup

    Videos: Seefeld Prep | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

  • Pittin Picks Up Second-Straight Win; Spillane Makes Top 10

    Johnny Spillane (USA) at the 2011 World Championships in Oslo. On Saturday, he notched a season-best ninth.

    A day after Alessandro Pittin became the first Italian to win a nordic combined World Cup event, the Olympic bronze medalist repeated his success, edging Jason Lamy Chappuis of France on Saturday in Chaux-Neuve, France.

    After ranking 22nd of 54 athletes in the 118-meter large hill jump, Pittin went on to catch the leaders in the 10 k Gundersen start and pulled out the victory in a photo finish with Lamy Chappuis and Fabian Riessle (GER), who was third.

    Pittin posted the second-fastest time Saturday after Magnus Moan (NOR), who ranked 30th in the jump and first in the race. Not far behind the race leaders, American Bill Demong climbed his way to 12th place with the third-fastest split.

    While Pittin added another achievement to the Italian history books, and Lamy Chappuis, who was born in Montana and moved to France as a kid, maintained his top spot in the World Cup standings, American Johnny Spillane lowered his season-best to ninth on Saturday.

    Spillane had previously notched his best result of 2011/2012 season on Friday, when he finished 13th in Chaux-Neuve. The same day, Demong placed a season-best eighth, and Bryan Fletcher had his second-best result of the season in 14th.

    “Everything has been slowly coming together, mostly on the jumping side of things,” Spillane wrote in an email after Saturday’s competition. “I have been feeling good on the skinny skis but needed to do a better job on the jump hill to have a chance.”

    On Saturday, the second of three consecutive days of competition, Spillane was the ninth fastest in the 10 k after ranking 13th in the jump.

    After seeing his best results in nearly two years following an injury that caused him to miss the beginning of last season, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist hadn’t met his podium expectations, but felt he was getting there.

    “I’m feeling positive about the rest of the season,” Spillane wrote. “I feel like I’m in good shape but I still have work to do on the jump hill before I can be in there day in and day out.”

    After Spillane, who was 7.9 seconds out of first, and Demong (+10.5), Taylor Fletcher was 31st and his brother, Bryan Fletcher, 32nd on Saturday. Both climbed from ranking a respective 49th and 41st in the morning jumping portion. Another American, Nick Hendrickson finished 41st after ranking 49th in the jump.

    Saturday’s results.

  • NoCo: Taylor Fletcher in 29th Place, Earns WC Points

    Magnus Moan (NOR) won the World Cup Nordic Combined competition on Sunday, barely 1.5 seconds ahead of Jason Lamy-Chappuis (FRA) who was leading after the jumping and started the cross-country a full minute in the lead. Moan polished off the course in 24 minutes and 36.8 seconds, Lamy-Chappuis clocked in at 24:38.4. David Kreiner (AUT) was third in 24:40.5. It was an incredibly tight race among the fastest racers: The top six finished within less than five seconds of each other.

    “The strategy today was to get up on the heels of Lamy-Chappuis early and just hang out there and see what he would do,” Moan said to Norwegian TV station NRK.no after the race.

    So Moan rolled up his sleeves and went to work. In 2.5K he had reduced Lamy-Chappuis’ advantage to half, and halfway through the course, Moan was on the Frenchman’s tails. With 400 meters to go, Moan surged and literally parked Lamy-Chappuis.

    Some highlights

    Taylor Fletcher was the top American, finishing in 29th place – one of his best ever results in a World Cup competition. Dave Jarrett, US Nordic Combined Head Coach, is impressed with Taylor Fletcher’s performance in Seefeld, which landed him some World Cup points.

    “Today had some positives for sure. Taylor got some points, which was good,” Jarrett said to FasterSkier in an email after the competition.

    Jarrett also sees improvement for Johnny Spillane, who is racing his way into shape for the World Championships in Oslo next month. He recently returned to competition after an 8-month break due to injuries.

    “Johnny is definitely coming back better and better. He needs to get the competition edge sharpened, for sure,” Jarrett said, but they both know they need to be patient, and that the 2011 World Championships are the goal of the season for him, and he recognizes that the Seefeld venue is known for brutal courses along with a difficult hill and challenging snow conditions.

    “While this is new version of the hill here, (Spillane) has always struggled a bit on this hill.  Horses for courses,” Jarrett said, adding that Spillane is already excited for the next races in Chaux Neuve, France, this coming weekend.

    “Today was better for me,” Johnny Spillane said to FasterSkier after his race on Sunday.

    “I’m feeling faster every race which is a good sign,” he said, adding that it takes time to get back from an 8-month break and it takes time to dial in new equipment.

    “Jumping is still a little hit miss now, but that is due to lake of training and trying to catch up on equipment testing. Today I tried a brand new pair of skis on the jump, which adds to the stress level a little, but overall they were pretty good.”

    But Spillane is patient and knows that every competition and every training day add up and will get him closer to peaking for the World Championships in Oslo in the end of February.

    “I’m looking forward to a week of training and continuing to take some more small steps towards Oslo,” Spillane said.

    Ups and downs

    Bryan Fletcher, who has delivered consistently encouraging results this season, generally overshooting his own goals of top 30, had a tough day Sunday. He was in 43rd place after the jumping, and started 1:32 behind Lamy-Chappuis. Still, he was able to climb seven spots over the 10K course and ended up in 36th place overall.

    “Bryan didn’t jump as well as he has been but in actuality it was just a one-off jump in the comp,” said Jarrett.

    Todd Lodwick felt a little off Sunday and didn’t pull off his best game, so despite a 26 place in after the jumping – the best of any of the US racers – Lodwick decided to opt out of the cross-country Sunday.

    “Todd jumped ok, but is still struggling with his lungs and breathing issues. He felt it was better not to race and hopefully let his lungs heal a bit more before Chaux Neuve,” Jarrett said.

    The World Cup events in Chaux Neuve next weekend will be the last World Cups before the World Championships in Oslo, and also the last World Cup competition for the season aside from the Oslo events.

    Complete results here.

  • NoCo: Todd Lodwick top American at WC in Seefeld

    Jason Lamy-Chappuis, the Frenchman who won an Olympic individual gold medal at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, jumped 113 meters, a whopping 7.5 meters longer than anyone else, and started with a minute and four second lead on Maxime Laheurte (FRA). With Norwegians Mikko Kokslien jumping to 8th place and Magnus Moan all the way down in 25th, Lamy-Chappuis maintained his position through the cross-country portion of the race. He finished in 25:33.2, while Magnus Moan, who started 1:53 behind Lamy-Chappuis, skied into second place, finishing in 26:02.5, while Kokslien was third, clocking in at 26:06.1.

    “Jason destroyed the field,” United States Ski Team’s (USST) Bryan Fletcher said with awe.

    “He jumped 1:04 ahead of second place. He was able to jump 113 meters. Pretty great performance by him. He also was able to stay off the front and won by almost 40 seconds so it was a good day for him,” Bryan Fletcher said.

    As for his own race, Bryan Fletcher said the course was tricky and conditions were tough, and that the margins were just not on his side, despite a decent jump.

    “Today was tough. The course was a combo of bullet proof ice and spring slush.  With the technical down hills it was a sketchy scene,” said Bryan Fletcher, explaining that the tight field did not help his game.

    “The race was very tightly packed. I did not have my best race by any means. I also fell twice, which doesn’t help. One was not my fault – someone stepped on my tip and pole and spun me around 180 degrees. In the middle of a pack, it was tough to get back on course. But I made it through that and worked my way back up to the pack only to fall again on the fourth lap on the big nasty corner,” Bryan Fletcher said, noting that he was content with his jumping.

    “The jumping went alright for me, I was able to land myself in 14th position,” he said.

    Taylor Fletcher was 34th overall after jumping to 47th place and starting 2:36 behind Lamy-Chappuis, and Johnny Spillane was 44th overall, after jumping to 54th place and starting in the wave of skiers who started 3 minutes behind Lamy-Chappuis.

    “It was a pretty good day on the hill for Bryan, Todd, and Taylor as well. Johnny didn’t jump as well,” head coach Dave Jarrett said, noting that conditions for the cross-country were tricky.

    “The course was hard and very icy. Todd and Bryan skied OK but not where we hoped they would finish. Taylor had a better race, and Johnny is still getting into race shape. It is clear we need to work on some cross-country stuff and that will be addressed going to Oslo,” Jarrett said.

    He knows both Lodwick and Bryan Fletcher is capable of better races than 23rd and 28th, and that the real goal is the World Championships in Oslo in February.

    “We have another competition tomorrow, so we will keep working,” said Jarrett.

    Johnny Spillane feels like the potential is there, but knows he has to be patient. “Today was not too great for me, but you have to keep everything in perspective. I have not been able to train for almost eight months due to my knee injury and some time off after the Olympics, so for me it is nice to get in the mix,” Spillane said.

    “Of course, I want to do better, but competing in a World Cup without much training is difficult. I’m in the process if trying to test new jumping skis and also compete, which is hard. But my main goal is Oslo, and I’m going to do everything I can to be prepared for Worlds,” Spillane said.

    Complete results here.

  • Norway Wins Team Event at Home, US 5th in World Cup Nordic Combined

    Oslo, Norway – The Norwegian team gave the home crowd a show as the nation won the nordic combined team event at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival Saturday, the biggest sporting event in Norway.

    The U.S. Ski Team went with its three individual Olympic medalists, adding 18 year old Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT) as the fourth for the rare World Cup team event.

    “Being in the fight at the beginning and in the end, fighting for third place, I think it’s a pretty good day all in all,” U.S. Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett said.

    Much as he did in the Olympics, Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) blasted a massive jump on the new big hill at Holmenkollen, soaring 133.0 meters to lead. Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) was fourth overall as Germany put out four consistent jumps to lead Austria by 28 seconds going into cross country. Norway was two seconds back, with the USA 52 second out in fourth.

    Hendrickson drew the opening leg and did an outstanding job in keeping the Americans in contact. Up front, Austria’s Bernhard Gruber and Norway’s Petter Tande teamed up to catch Germany, with the Austrians taking a slim lead over Norway at the handoff. Hendrickson dropped to seventh, but just 40 seconds behind the leaders.

    “He did a good job. These guys wanted him to be the first guy in the race today because he’s kind of the representative of the future. Nick is going to be finishing these relays 10 years from now,” Jarrett said. “It was a good learning experience for him to be able to compete with these guys and he did a good job. These guys are psyched for him.”

    In the second leg, Lodwick made up two places to move the USA up to fifth while Austria and Norway battled for the lead. But the USA was still 45 seconds back with Austria’s David Kreiner and Norwegian Mikko Kokslien blazing a torrid pace with two of the fastest legs of the afternoon.

    Three-time Olympic silver medalist Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was poised to move up on the third leg, with Norway’s weakest cross country skier dropping 25 seconds to the field. But a broken pole killed his chances. Austria moved into a strong lead over Norway while the USA maintained fifth, but dropped a minute, 12 seconds behind the leaders.

    In the anchor leg, cross country strongman Magnus Moan stole the show, gaining back the ground lost in the previous leg and passing Austria’s Mario Stecher for the win with Germany third. Demong was pitted against Olympic champion Jason Lamy Chappuis (FRA).  Lamy Chapuis gained the upper hand leading France to 4th, while the US settled for 5th.

    “Everyone here, especially Todd, Johnny and Billy, just got here on Wednesday and there hasn’t been a lot of preparation in that sense. But they did a good job today and we’re excited about tomorrow,” Jarrett said.

    “Despite me not having a great race, and Johnny breaking a pole we managed a solid fifth place in the relay today! Hats off to Nick Hendrickson,” Demong added.

    All eyes now are fixed on Sunday’s nordic combined season finale in the prestigious King’s Cup. It also marks a return to Oslo, after the competition was held in Vikersund a year ago while the Holmenkollen jumps were under reconstruction. The fabled King’s Cup, first won by American John Bower in 1968, went to Demong a year ago.

    “If Todd jumps tomorrow like he did today, he will be in a great starting position. Billy and Johnny were really good in the provisional, so they’re all right there,” Jarrett said. “Basically we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

    Sunday’s jumping round is set for 5 a.m. ET with cross country at 7 a.m. ET.

    Source: USSA

  • Europeans Cry Foul Over NoCo Jumping

    Europeans Cry Foul Over NoCo Jumping

    Todd Lodwick (USA) lands a jump during Tuesday's team event

    As Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane strode triumphantly to the podium for the flower ceremony after today’s nordic combined competition, a parade of sullen-looking Europeans was walking through the mixed zone, in the other direction.

    It was easy to miss them—after all, they weren’t the ones who won medals. But they had an interesting story to tell, too: how Thursday’s weather conditions in the jumping round had ruined their chances for Olympic glory.

    Big names like France’s Jason Lamy-Chappuis, Austria’s Felix Gottwald, and Norway’s Magnus Moan were nowhere near the top, their races compromised by poor jumping that stemmed at least partly from the conditions.

    “This jumping competition has nothing to do with fair competition,” said Gottwald, who, with seven Olympic medals to his name, should know.

    In an event that is only held every four years, with such high stakes, Gottwald said, officials should have done more to ensure that all the athletes got a fair shot.

    “A lot of athletes didn’t get the chance to show their performance,” he said.

    The sport of nordic combined is split between two separate competitions. A ski jump, usually held in the morning, is used to determine the start order for a cross country race in the afternoon, and the athletes with the longest leaps get a head start.

    Since jumpers are in the air for so long, buoyed by puffy suits that help them glide more than 100 meters, minor fluctuations in wind or precipitation can have a big impact on results. That’s what happened Thursday morning.

    “It was switching on and off all day with the wind, and light snow on and off on the in-run,” said Taylor Fletcher, one of the American competitors in the event. “You really had to be on top of your game in order to put one down farther on the hill.”

    During World Cup competitions, which are held almost weekly in Europe, the jury (the officials in charge of regulating the jumping and ensuring a level playing field) has more flexibility.

    If conditions are too erratic, they can delay the jumping until the weather improves, or if things are far too dicey, they can scrap it altogether. If that happens, the cross country race is handicapped using the results from a competition from the day before, called the “provisional round.”

    “Had this been a World Cup event, they would have cancelled today, and used the provisional jump,” said Dave Jarrett, the head coach of the American nordic combined team.

    At the Olympics, though, no provisional jump is held, and Jarrett said that yesterday’s bad weather would have precluded one, anyway. As for a delay or postponement, Jarrett said many teams have flights scheduled for tomorrow—and that cluttered television lineups give officials little choice but to push ahead.

    “The T.V. drives the times,” he said. “When you have the Olympics on such a tight schedule, that doesn’t leave much room for error.”

    While Demong and Spillane both ended up benefiting from the weather, the problems on the hill affected all the teams—not just the Europeans. The third American medal contender, Todd Lodwick, had tough conditions for his jump, while some of the athletes from nordic combined powerhouses France and Austria made it through unscathed—including bronze medalist Bernhard Gruber (AUT).

    But Jarrett did acknowledge that ultimately, the sport’s officials have some work to do.

    “Something needs to change on the jumping hill,” he said.

    One way the effects of the weather could be minimized, Jarrett said, would be if jumpers used thinner suits, like the ones worn by alpine or nordic racers. Those suits trap less air, reducing the impact of changes in wind.

    “The fit and the materials can be a solution,” he said.

  • Demong Fourth as Moan Doubles Up in Nordic Combined in France

    Bill Demong racing in Whistler last year
    Bill Demong racing in Whistler last year

    It’s a pretty good sign for the U.S. Nordic Combined Team that a fourth-place World Cup finish for Bill Demong isn’t greeted with a whole lot of fanfare.

    With 28 days before the first race of the 2010 Olympic Games, Demong and his teammates have already been on the podium four times this year, despite the fact that Head Coach Dave Jarrett says that his athletes haven’t even tried to peak yet.

    In Sunday’s World Cup in Chaux-Neuve, France—his last before heading home to the U.S.—Demong finished just outside the top three, as Mario Stecher (AUS) caught and passed him in the stadium right before the finish. Five years ago, the result probably would have been treated with significantly more reverence, but today it seemed like more of a pedestrian effort.

    Conditions in Chaux-Neuve were dicey this morning, and officials almost scrapped the jumping round. Had they done that, Jarrett said that the Americans would have been well-positioned for the cross country race, but the weather ended up giving the organizers just enough of an opening.

    After the jumping round, Demong was sitting in ninth place. In the ensuing race, eventual winner Magnus Moan caught him from behind, and the two skied together almost until the finish, Jarrett said in a phone interview from Europe.

    In the finale, the American couldn’t quite hold Moan’s pace, and ended up getting dropped by the Norwegian, who was on his way to his second win in as many days. Jason Lamy Chappuis of France also came by.

    “We thought Bill was going to get third going away at the top of the last hill,” Jarrett said. “He was just cooked. Mario came back to him in the stadium, and they had kind of a drag race.”

    At the line, Stecher came out on top, 1.2 seconds ahead of Demong. Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane followed in 13th and 16th, respectively, and Brett Camerota finished in 35th.

    Following this weekend’s races, the Americans will head home for some training. After six races in two-and-a-half weeks, Jarrett said that the team is skipping the next two World Cup weekends to ensure that “everybody’s going into Whistler with the right taper and the right preparation.”

    “Training-wise, they haven’t tried to peak yet, so hopefully these next three weeks, we’ll hit it right,” he said.

    The first nordic combined event of the 2010 Olympics is on February 14th. Jarrett said that his team is planning its final camp for Park City, one week before they leave for the Games.

    The initial team for Whistler will be announced on Thursday.