Park City, Utah (March 20, 2023) – The FIS Ski Jumping Raw Air Tournament wrapped up this past weekend, after making three stops in Oslo, Lillehammer and Vikersund, Norway. The tournament was highlighted by Annika Belshaw and Decker Dean, with Belshaw scoring individual World Cup points twice in Lillehammer, and Dean coming away with his first World Cup points of the season in Vikersund.
Oslo, Norway (March 10-12)
Men’s Ski Jumping Recap
Men’s Ski Jumping were the first on the hill in Oslo, Norway, for the first stop in the Raw Air Tournament. During the HS134 Qualification on March 10th, Casey Larson and Erik Belshaw were able to qualify, with Andrew Urlaub barely missing the cut. Larson placed 37th in Qualification, going 112.0 meters for 93.3 points, with Belshaw coming in 43rd after putting together a 111.5 meter jump for 90.7 points. Urlaub came in 53rd, as he jumped to 106.0 meters for 82.4 points. On March 11th, Larson and Belshaw competed in the Individual HS134 World Cup. Larson placed 32nd overall, going 115.0 meters for 99.7 points, with Belshaw placing 42nd, after putting together a 114.0 meter jump for 90.9 points. Both Larson and Belshaw were unable to qualify for the second round of action.
The next HS134 Qualification was held on March 12th, as Larson and Urlaub were able to qualify for the final Individual World Cup in Oslo. Larson jumped to 115.5 meters for 93.3 points (35th place), with Urlaub going 115.5 meters for 89.2 points (40th place). Belshaw was unable to qualify, as he landed at 101.0 meters for 68.1 points, placing 56th overall. During the Individual HS134 World Cup on March 12th, Larson placed 47th overall and Urlaub placed 49th, as both athletes were unable to advance to the final round. Larson went 112.0 meters for 90.6 points, with Urlaub going 111.0 meters for 84.2 points.
Women’s Ski Jumping Recap
Women’s Ski Jumping took the hill on March 10th, as Annika Belshaw, Cara Larson, Josie Johnson and Paige Jones all competed in the HS134 Qualification. Jones jumped to 96.0 meters for 66.8 points (43rd overall), with Johnson going 90.5 meters for 56.4 points (45th overall), Larson then went 88.5 meters for 54.8 points (46th overall) and Belshaw rounded things off with an 87.5 meter jump for 49.5 points. All athletes were unable to qualify for the Individual HS134 World Cup on March 11th.
During the HS134 Qualification on March 12th, Jones placed 41st overall after going 98.5 meters for 56.2 points. Belshaw was close behind in 42nd, after she jumped to 93.5 meters for 53.1 points. Johnson followed in 47th, going 84.0 meters for 32.3 points, as all three athletes were unable to qualify for the final HS134 World Cup in Oslo.
Lillehammer, Norway (March 13-16)
Women’s Ski Jumping Recap
The first event in Lillehammer was a HS140 Qualification for Women’s Ski Jumping on March 13th. Belshaw placed 30th overall, going 113.0 meters for 78.8 points. Jones was close behind in 33rd, after she put together a 104.5 meter jump for 73.1 points, as both athletes were able to qualify for the Individual HS140 World Cup later that day. Johnson was unable to qualify, as she finished 49th overall, after putting together an 82.5 meter jump for 28.9 points. Later in the day, during the Individual HS140 World Cup, Jones was able to go 93.0 meters for 49.7 points. This placed Jones 37th overall, as she was unable to qualify for the final round of action. Belshaw jumped to 97.5 meters for 60.9 points in the first round, as she was able to advance to the final round. Belshaw then bested her first round distance, jumping to 99.5 meters for 60.3 points. This performance gave Belshaw a 29th place finish, as she scored individual World Cup points for the eighth time this season.
The final HS140 Qualification was held on March 14th, as Belshaw was the only United States athlete to qualify. Belshaw placed 40th overall, after jumping to 105.0 meters for 77.3 points. Jones barely missed qualification, finishing 41st overall, as she put together a 100.0 meter jump for 76.0 points. Johnson placed 49th (98.5 meters, 63.2 points) and Larson finished 51st overall (83.5 meters, 50.2 points). During the final World Cup event of the Raw Air Tournament for Women’s Ski Jumping, Belshaw was able to card her ninth individual World Cup points of the season. In the first round of the Individual HS140 World Cup, Belshaw went 117.0 meters for 73.5 points. Belshaw then added a 115.0 meter jump for 87.1 points in the final round, placing 26th overall, as she ended her time at the Raw Air Tournament on a high note.
“Overall, Raw Air was a challenging tournament for the girls. You could see that at this point in the season, fatigue was starting to play a role with some of the athletes, which is to be expected after such a long season,” said USA Nordic Men’s and Women’s Ski Jumping Coach, Anders Johnson.” I was really proud of the way Annika was able to perform in Lillehammer, after the tough few days she had at Holmenkollen trying to find the rhythm of the hill. She was then able to reset and get back to the basics in Lillehammer, and fight for some more World Cup points to finish the season.”
Men’s Ski Jumping Recap
Urlaub was the sole athlete to qualify for the United States, after the HS140 Qualification on March 13th. Urlaub was able to put together a 121.0 meter jump for 100.8 points, as he placed 46th overall, and earned himself a spot in the Individual HS140 World Cup on March 14th. Larson barely missed qualification, placing 51st overall, after going 115.0 meters for 93.1 points. Decker Dean placed 57th in the HS140 Qualification, as he put together a 108.5 meter jump for 80.8 points. During the Individual HS140 World Cup on March 14th, Urlaub was unable to advance to the final round of action. During the first round, Urlaub was able to put together a 97.0 meter jump for 40.1 points, as he finished 47th overall.
The next event for Men’s Ski Jumping was a HS140 Qualification on March 15th, as all three athletes representing the United States were able to qualify. Dean was first to qualify, as he went 129.5 meters for 123.8 points, placing him 21st overall. Larson was next up, as he notched a 120.0 meter jump for108.3 points, landing him in 39th place. Belshaw rounded things off, as he went 118.0 meters for 104.9 points, placing 42nd overall. The final event in Lillehammer was the Individual HS140 World Cup, which was held on March 16th. Larson recorded the highest finish of the day, placing 35th overall, after going 118.0 meters for 95.5 points. Belshaw was right behind in 36th, as he went 118.0 meters as well, giving him 93.4 points. Dean placed 41st overall (114 meters, 86.0 points), as all three athletes were unable to advance to the final round.
Vikersund, Norway (March 17-19)
Men’s Ski Jumping Recap
The final stop in the Raw Air Tournament was Vikersund, Norway, as Men’s Ski Jumping competed in two different Individual HS240 Ski Flying World Cups. Dean was the only athlete to qualify for the United States during the HS240 Qualification held on March 17th. Putting together a 201.0 meter jump for 157.0 points, Dean carded a 26th place finish during qualification. Larson placed 49th overall (156.0 meters, 101.3 points) and Belshaw placed 52nd (151.0 meters, 91.8 points). In the first round of action during the Individual HS240 Ski Flying World Cup on March 18th, Dean put together a 178.5 meter jump for 134.9 points, as he was able to advance to the final round. Dean then bested his first round performance, as he went 184.0 meters for 144.3 points. This gave him a 27th overall finish, as Dean was able to earn his first individual World Cup points of the season.
Both Dean and Larson were able to qualify during the final HS240 Qualification event of the tournament, which was held on March 19th. Dean placed 33rd overall (207.5 meters, 182.9 points) and Larson placed 34th (211.0 meters, 181.7 points), with Belshaw just barely missing qualification, finishing 45th overall (200.0 meters, 164.1 points). Later in the day, during the final World Cup of the Raw Air Tournament, both Dean and Larson were unable to advance to the final round. In the first round, Dean went 190.5 meters for 164.6 points (36th overall), with Larson going 187.5 meters for 153.8 points (39th overall), as the athletes ended their time competing in the Raw Air Tournament.
“Raw Air was a great experience. It was definitely intense, but I was able to have some good jumps and take some steps forward,” said USA Nordic Athlete, Decker Dean. “Jumping in Vikersund was a crazy experience, but I was happy to grab some points, especially on a Ski Flying hill after being so close so many times this winter.”
Results
Raw Air Tournament – Oslo, Norway
