USA Nordic Weekend Preview: Nordic Combined World Cups & Ski Jumping Raw Air Tournament

Men’s and Women’s Nordic Combined will be wrapping up their competition on the World Cup circuit this weekend in Oslo, Norway. Women’s Nordic Combined will compete in one World Cup event, with Men’s Nordic Combined competing in two, spanning from March 8-12. Men’s and Women’s Ski Jumping will then compete in the Raw Air Tournament from March 10-19, making three stops in Oslo, Lillehammer and Vikersund, Norway.

Athletes Competing in Nordic Combined World Cup Circuit

• Men’s Nordic Combined – Oslo, Norway: Ben Loomis, Niklas Malacinski, Stephen Schumann
• Women’s Nordic Combined – Oslo, Norway: Annika Malacinski

Athletes Competing in Ski Jumping Raw Air Tournament

• Men’s Ski Jumping: Andrew Urlaub, Casey Larson, Decker Dean, Erik Belshaw
• Women’s Ski Jumping: Annika Belshaw, Cara Larson, Josie Johnson, Paige Jones

Men’s Nordic Combined Preview

Ben Loomis, Niklas Malacinski and Stephen Schumann will compete for Men’s Nordic Combined in their final World Cup events of the season in Oslo, Norway. The Men’s Nordic Combined World Cup circuit will officially come to an end in Lahti, Finland, March 24-27, but the United States will not have athletes competing. Prior to traveling to Oslo, Loomis, Malacinski and Schumann represented the United States at the World Championships in Planica, Slovenia. Loomis placed 27th (HS100/10km) and 31st (HS138/10km) in both of the Individual World Championships, along with 7th (Mixed Team HS100/4x5km) and 8th (Men’s Team HS138/4x5km) in the Team World Championship events. Malacinski placed 31st (HS100/10km) and 38th (HS138/10km) in both of the Individual World Championships, along with 7th (Mixed Team HS100/4x5km) and 8th (Men’s Team HS138/4x5km) in the Team World Championship events. Schumann then placed 36th (HS100/10km) and 39th (HS138/10km) in both of the Individual World Championships, and 8th in the Men’s Team HS138/4x5km World Championship.

Women’s Nordic Combined Preview

Annika Malacinski will be the sole athlete representing the United States at Women’s Nordic Combined’s final World Cup of the season in Oslo, Norway. Prior to traveling to Oslo, Malacinski competed at the World Championships in Planica, and then the Continental Cup events in Eisenerz, Austria. In Planica, Malacinski placed 22nd overall in the HS100/5km World Championship, as well as 7th overall in the Mixed Team HS100/4x5km World Championship. Immediately following World Championships, Malacinski placed 11th and 13th overall in two separate HS109/5km Continental Cups.

Men’s Ski Jumping Preview
Andrew Urlaub, Casey Larson, Decker Dean and Erik Belshaw will compete in the Raw Air Tournament for Men’s Ski Jumping, after competing at the World Championships in Planica, Slovenia. Urlaub put together a great performance at World Championships, placing 26th overall in the HS100 World Championship, as well as adding 10th (Mixed Team HS100) and 8th (Men’s Team HS138) place finishes in the Team Events. Larson placed 39th in the HS100 and 36th in the HS138 World Championships, and then added a 10th overall finish in the Mixed Team HS100 and an 8th place finish in the Men’s Team HS138 World Championships. Dean placed 45th in the HS100 and 39th in the HS138 in World Championships, and then contributed to the 8th place finish in the Men’s Team HS138. Belshaw was also able to have a successful performance at World Championships, placing 42nd overall in the HS100 and 26th overall in the HS138 World Championships, as well as adding an 8th overall finish in the Men’s Team HS138.

Women’s Ski Jumping Preview

Annika Belshaw, Paige Jones and Josie Johnson will compete in the Raw Air Tournament for Women’s Ski Jumping, after competing at World Championships in Planica. Cara Larson will also compete at the Raw Air Tournament, as she will make her World Cup debut in Oslo, Norway. Belshaw placed 31st (HS100) and 32nd (HS138) in the Individual World Championships, and then added 10th place finishes in both the Mixed Team and Women’s Team HS100 World Championships. Jones placed 38th overall in the HS100 World Championship, and then contributed to the 10th place finishes in the Mixed Team and Women’s Team HS100 World Championships. Johnson was unable to qualify for the Individual HS100 and HS138 Individual World Championships, but competed in the Women’s Team HS100, adding to the 10th place finish. Larson most recently competed at the World University Games in Lake Placid, New York, where she finished 6th in the Individual and Team HS100 Events. Larson also added a 5th place finish in the Women’s Ski Jumping Team HS100 Event at the World University Games.