USA Nordic - Villach Summer Grand Prix Recap

The FIS Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix circuit wrapped up this past weekend in Villach, Austria. Ben Loomis kept his momentum rolling after Oberstdorf, carding two top twenty finishes in Villach. Annika Malacinski and Alexa Brabec notched top fifteen finishes as well, continuing their successful Summer Grand Prix performance.

The weekend got started on Saturday, September 2nd, as Men’s Nordic Combined took the hill first, with athletes competing in a Individual Compact HS98/7.5km Summer Grand Prix event. Loomis jumped to 82.0 meters for 107.6 total points, putting him in the 22nd position for the 7.5km. Niklas Malacinski landed in 37th place, after going 81.0 meters for 100.0 points. Grant Andrews was then able to jump to 82.0 meters, giving him 97.5 points, putting him in 44th place. Stephen Schumann landed at 73.0 meters for 73.5 points, putting him in the 55th position for the 7.5km race.

During the 7.5km, Loomis was able to ski up, finishing 16th overall after completing the course with a total time of 16:19.2. Niklas Malacinski placed 41st overall, finishing the 7.5km with a total time of 16:55.3. Andrews then placed 45th overall (17:05.9 total time), with Schumann right behind in 45th (17:10.4), wrapping up the first Summer Grand Prix of the weekend.

Women’s Nordic Combined was next up on the hill, with athletes competing in an Individual Compact HS98/5km on Saturday, September 2nd. Brabec was able to jump to the 20th position, as she went 70.0 meters for 77.3 points. During the 5km race, Brabec was able to ski up, placing 14th overall with a total course time of 13:23.2. Annika Malacinski was disqualified during the Ski Jumping portion of the competition.

The final day of action came on Sunday, September 3rd, as Men’s Nordic Combined competed in a HS98/10km event. Niklas Malacinski recorded the longest jump of the day, going 86.0 meters for 92.1 points, putting him in the 29th position for the 10km race. Loomis was close behind in 31st, carding a 84.0 meter jump for 91.2 points. Andrews rounded things off, as he was able to jump to 78.5 meters for 81.1 points, placing him 44th overall for the 10km.

Later in the day during the 10km, Loomis was yet again able to ski up, finishing the course in 21:50.3, as he placed 20th overall. Niklas Malacinski placed 36th overall, as he finished the 10km in 22:48.8. Andrews finished 46th overall (23:37.2), as Men’s Nordic Combined closed out their weekend in Villach.

Women’s Nordic Combined was next up, as they competed in a HS98/5km event to close out the Summer Grand Prix circuit. Annika Malacinski jumped her way to the 18th position, as she went 76.0 meters for 81.4 points. Brabec was close behind in 24th, jumping to 67.5 meters for 56.6 points. During the 5km, Annika Malacinski skied up, placing 13th overall after finishing the course in 13:14.1. Brabec was able to ski up as well, finishing the course in 13:18.0 and placing 23rd overall.

Men’s and Women’s Nordic Combined will now prepare for the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup circuit. Men’s Nordic Combined’s first stop will be in Ruka, Finland, from November 23rd-26th, while Women’s Nordic Combined will compete in their first World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway, from November 30th-December 1st.