LAHTI, Finland (Feb. 26, 2017) - The USA finished eighth Sunday in the nordic combined team event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. Germany was an easy winner of the gold, followed by Norway and Austria.
The day kicked off strong for the USA as Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) soared to the top jump in the opening round, going 96.5 meters to put the USA into the lead. The USA ended up seventh after jumping, starting cross country one minute, 42 seconds back.
Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) opened up in cross country, moving the USA up to sixth with the fifth fastest time in the leg. He handed off to brother Taylor who held the position. Berend went third, dropping back to eighth with Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) holding the spot to the finish.
“Cross country was good,” said Bryan Fletcher. “My goal for today was to use it as a training race, build a strong performance and get some results. I wanted to finish the last half-k really strong and I think I accomplished it. It was a good test for this course since we’re on it the rest of the Championships.”
Berend took away some huge positives from his experience leading off on the jump. “It was awesome to put down that jump,” he said. “It was our plan to have me go first, have a strong jump and set the tempo for the rest of the rounds. It felt awesome to be in that leader box the whole first round - it was a great experience for me.”
Training begins on the HS134m hill on Monday with the individual competition.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The USA finished eight in the nordic combined team event Sunday at World Championships in Lahti.
- Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) led it off on the jump Sunday morning, winning the first round with a jump of 96.5 meters.
- The USA stood seventh after the jump, starting one minute, 42 seconds back in cross country.
QUOTES
Bryan Fletcher
It wasn’t a bad jump. I was really excited that Ben Berend had such an amazing jump and I was really going for it and tried a little bit too hard.
It’s really good experience for Ben Berend and Ben Loomis. They just need time to build up cross country. In jumping they’re contenders. That’s a bit of a departure from years past, but we’ll take it. They can develop their skiing over time and we can have a strong four-man team.
Cross country was good. My goal for today was to use it as a training race, build a strong performance and get some results. I wanted to finish the last half-k really strong and I think I accomplished it. It was a good test for this course since we’re on it the rest of the Championships.
The big hill is one of my favorites on the tour. It’s a hard hill and not forgiving. Hopefully it will go well and we can be in the mix again.
Ben Berend
It was awesome to put down that jump. It was our plan to have me go first, have a strong jump and set the tempo for the rest of the rounds.
It felt awesome to be in that leader box the whole first round - it was a great experience for me.
Last time I was at worlds I wasn’t picked for the four-man team event, but this is my favorite. I learned a lot out there. We weren’t fighting for the podium at the end but we all took little steps today.
The big hill will suit me much better. The bigger the hill, the bigger the time gaps in cross country which doesn’t suit me as well.
RESULTS
Nordic Combined Team Event Jumping
Nordic Combined Team Event Final Results
