USA Nordic - Recap: Men’s Ski Jumping – Planica Ski Flying World Cups

Last weekend, USA Nordic Men’s Ski Jumping athletes competed in two different Ski Flying World Cup events in Planica, Slovenia. The Men’s Team HS240 event held on Saturday, April 1st, was the final World Cup competition of the 2022/2023 season for Men’s Ski Jumping.

Men’s Individual HS240 Ski Flying World Cup

The first event in Planica was held on Thursday, March 30th, as athletes took the hill for the HS240 Qualification. Decker Dean was the sole athlete to qualify for the Individual HS240 Ski Flying World Cup, held on April 1st. Dean was able to put together a 200.5 meter jump for 161.2 points, which put him 38th overall in the qualification round. Casey Larson barely missed qualification, finishing 42nd overall, after going 204.0 meters for 155.8 points. Erik Belshaw was close behind in 44th, as he jumped to 194.0 meters for 150.7 points. Andrew Urlaub placed 65th overall, as he went 152.0 meters for 91.4 points.

The Individual HS240 Ski Flying World Cup was originally supposed to be held on Friday, March 31st, but due to inclement weather, the event was moved to Saturday, April 1st. In the first round of action, Dean put together a 191.5 meter jump for 162.3 points, landing him in 39th place. Due to further complications with inclement weather, only one round of competition was held on April 1st, with the first round of action counting as the final result.

Men’s Team HS240 Ski Flying World Cup

Larson, Dean, Belshaw and Urlaub then competed in the Team HS240 World Cup, which was held on Saturday, April 1st. In the first round, Larson put together a 177.0 meter jump for 142.0 points. Dean followed, as he went 198.0 meters, which gave him 156.6 points. Belshaw was next up, as he went 182.5 meters for a total of 137.5 points. Urlaub was the fourth and final jumper, as he jumped to 172.5 meters for 141.2 points, which qualified the foursome for the final round of competition.

During the final round, Larson was able to best his first jump, as he went 188.5 meters for 152.2 points. Dean then added a 194.0 meter jump of his own, giving him a total of 141.5 points. Belshaw followed with a 169.5 meter jump, for a total of 118.7 points. Urlaub then went 154.5 meters for 106.3 points, giving the team a total of 1096.0 points on the day, as they finished 8th overall.