USA Nordic Weekend Preview: Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined Lahti World Cups

The FIS World Cup circuit continues this weekend for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined athletes. Men’s and Women’s Ski Jumping, as well as Men’s Nordic Combined, will compete in Lahti, Finland, from February 29th – March 3rd.

Athletes Competing in World Cup Circuit

• Men’s Ski Jumping – Lahti, Finland: Andrew Urlaub, Casey Larson, Erik Belshaw, Tate Frantz
• Women’s Ski Jumping – Lahti, Finland: Annika Belshaw, Paige Jones
• Men’s Nordic Combined – Lahti, Finland: Ben Loomis, Grant Andrews, Niklas Malacinski, Stephen Schumann

Men’s Ski Jumping Preview

Andrew Urlaub, Casey Larson, Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz will compete for the United States at the Men’s Ski Jumping World Cup events in Lahti, Finland. Urlaub last competed on the World Cup circuit in Lake Placid, New York, where he finished 48th and 39th in the Individual HS128 World Cups, and 10th overall in the Super Team HS128 World Cup. Larson last competed at the World Cup events in Oberstdorf, Germany, last weekend, where he finished 37th and 38th overall in both Individual HS235 Ski Flying events. Frantz finished 7th overall in the Super Team HS235 World Cup with Belshaw in Oberstdorf, and followed up with a 34th place finish in the Individual HS235 World Cup on February 24th. During the Individual HS235 World Cup on February 24th, Belshaw put together jumps of 212.0 and 219.5 meters, totaling 400.9 points, as he placed 18th overall and recorded his first-ever World Cup top 20 finish. On February 25th, during the final Individual HS235 World Cup, Belshaw jumped to 216.5 and 219.0 meters, giving him 396.8 total points, as he was able to place 12th overall and record the first top 15 finish for Men’s Ski Jumping since Kevin Bickner in Vikersund in 2017.

Women’s Ski Jumping Preview

Annika Belshaw and Paige Jones will represent Women’s Ski Jumping at the World Cup events in Lahti, Finland. Last weekend, both athletes competed at the World Cup events in Hinzenbach, Austria. Belshaw qualified for the Individual HS90 World Cup on February 24th, placing 40th overall, as she was unable to advance to the final round of action. Competition in Hinzenbach concluded on Sunday, February 25th, with Paige Jones (40th) being the sole athlete to qualify for the Individual HS90 World Cup. During Individual HS90 World Cup, Jones finished 34th overall, as she was unable to qualify for the final round of action.

Men’s Nordic Combined Preview

Ben Loomis, Grant Andrews, Niklas Malacinski and Stephen Schumann will compete at the World Cup events in Lahti, Finland, for Men’s Nordic Combined. All four athletes last competed in early February, as they attended the World Cup events in Otepää, Estonia. On February 9th, athletes competed in the Mass Start HS97/10km World Cup, with Malacinski placing 23rd overall, Loomis finishing in 29th, Schumann in 32nd, and Andrews coming in 40th overall. The second World Cup of the weekend came on Saturday, February 10th, with athletes competing in a HS97/10km event. Malacinski placed 14th overall, as he was able to card a new World Cup personal best. Loomis placed 22nd overall, with Schumann placing 41st and Andrews coming in 46th. Athletes then closed out competition in Otepää with another HS97/10km World Cup on Sunday, February 11th. During the 10km, Loomis recorded the highest finish of the day, placing 24th overall. Malacinski then finished 32nd overall, with Schumann coming in 37th and Andrews in 44th, as Men’s Nordic Combined ended their time in Otepää.