Men’s and Women’s Nordic Combined - Tschagguns Summer Grand Prix Recap

Tschagguns, Austria (September 4, 2022) – Men’s and Women’s Nordic Combined wrapped up the Summer Grand Prix circuit over the weekend, with two days of competition in Tschagguns, Austria.

Saturday started with the Women’s Nordic Combined Normal Hill HS108/5km event. Annika Malacinski was able to jump her way to 14th place, going 85.0 meters (93.7 points). Tess Arnone then went 65.0 meters (43.9 points), putting her in 19th place to start the 5km race.

In the 5km race, Malacinski recorded the third fastest time of the day (13:27.0), as she skied up from 14th to finish 10th overall. Arnone then finished 18th overall, carding the tenth fastest time of the day at 13:56.6.

Men’s Nordic Combined then took the hill for the Normal Hill HS108/10km competition. Jared Shumate recorded the longest jump of the day for the Men’s Nordic Combined team, going 97.0 meters (112.8 points) to put him in 18th place. Grant Andrews followed with a 94.0 meter jump of his own (109.5 points), placing 28th overall. Ben Loomis was right behind Andrews in 29th place, as he jumped to 93.0 meters (109.2 points). Jasper Good then recorded a 90.5 meter jump (98.0 points) putting him in 46th place to start the 10km race.

After starting 29th in the 10km race, Loomis then recorded the third fastest time of the day (21:33.6), as he was able to ski up and finish 12th overall. Shumate was close behind, as he placed 13th overall with the seventh fastest time of the day, finishing the course in 21:49.7. Good then skied up from 46th, finishing 39th overall, with Andrews close behind, taking 41st place.

The Tschagguns Summer Grand Prix then wrapped up on Sunday, starting with the Women’s Nordic Combined Normal Hill HS108/5km competition. Malacinski got things rolling with an 85.0 meter jump (80.8 points), putting her in 15th place for the 5km race. Arnone then followed with a 68.5 meter jump (43.7 points), placing her 20th overall.

Malacinski then had another great day on the race course, as she was able to record the second fastest time of the day during the 5km (12:44.2), finishing 13th overall. Arnone was able to make up some time as well, placing 19th overall to close out the Summer Grand Prix circuit for Women’s Nordic Combined.

“Overall, I’m very happy with the Summer Grand Prix,” said Women’s Nordic Combined Head Coach, Tomas Matura. “It was a good experience for the Women’s team, and they all now know what they need to work on to fight for better results. Winter is just around the corner and I’m excited to see the team’s improvements.”

Men’s Nordic Combined then closed out Tschagguns with the Normal Hill HS108/10km event. Andrews placed 24th overall after a 97.0 meter jump (103.3 points), followed by Loomis in 32nd with a 95.5 meter jump (99.2 points), Shumate in 43rd with a 92.0 meter jump (91.8 points), and Good placing 44th after a 90.5 meter jump (91.8 points).

In the 10km race, Loomis climbed from 33rd, finishing 18th overall with a total time of 20:45.9. Andrews then recorded his second SGP points of the circuit, finishing in 28th place. Shumate skied up from 43rd, as he finished 38th overall. Good was close behind, finishing in 39th place after skiing up from 44th.

“On Saturday, the field was very tight. Ben and Jared did a great job of staying at the front of their groups and fighting with a big pack until the finish, it made for a very exciting race,” said Men’s Nordic Combined Team Director, Nick Hendrickson. “During Sunday’s competition, Jasper and Grant both had great jumps. There was then a change in conditions during Ben and Jared’s jumps, which made for some bad luck on the hill. Grant and Ben then had a great race, with Ben moving up ten spots in the final lap, and Grant scoring his second-ever Summer Grand Prix points.”