Ruka, Finland (November 26, 2023) – Last weekend, USA Nordic Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined athletes competed competed in their first FIS World Cup events of the 2023-24 season. For Men’s Nordic Combined, Stephen Schumann and Niklas Malacinski recorded new World Cup personal bests during Friday’s Compact HS142/7.5km event. Tate Frantz was then able to record his first-ever World Cup points for Men’s Ski Jumping on Sunday during the HS142 World Cup, with Erik Belshaw notching his first World Cup points of the season as well.
Men’s Nordic Combined
The weekend got started on Friday, November 24th, as athletes took the hill for the Compact HS142/7.5km event. Ben Loomis had the best jump of the day, putting him in the 20th position for the 7.5km race, as he soared to 126.5 meters for 118.1 points. Schumann jumped to the 27th position, as he went 118.0 meters for 105.3 points. Malacinski was close behind in 34th, jumping to 105.0 for 90.2 points. Grant Andrews rounded things off, as he jumped into the 38th position, after going 105.5 meters for a total of 82.3 points. During the 7.5km race, Schumann was able to ski up to place 13th overall (18:52.1 total time), which is a new World Cup personal best finish. Loomis was able to hold his position in the 7.5km, finishing 20th overall, after recording a course time of 19:28.6. Malacinski then recorded a new World Cup personal best finish, placing 21st overall behind Loomis, as he finished the race in 19:04.3. Andrews finished in the 53rd position, as he recorded a total time of 21:02.4.
“I’m super happy with the 13th place finish, it’s a new format that definitely suits me as a better cross country skier, so I was looking forward to it for sure,” said USA Nordic athlete, Stephen Schumann. “Overall, the weekend was a successful start to the year, one rough day for me but otherwise really happy with the skiing, and the jumping is just missing a bit of consistency. I think the team is on a good trajectory, and we’re all psyched for a good weekend in Lillehammer.”
On Saturday, November 25th, athletes then competed in the HS142/10km event. Malacinski had the best jump of the day, which landed him in the 23rd position, as he recorded a 119.0 meter jump for 108.1 points. Andrews was right behind in 27th, going 119.5 meters for 102.7 points, followed by Loomis in 28th place (116.0 meters, 101.7 points). Schumann then put together a 96.0 meter jump, giving him 64.4 points and putting him in the 51st position for the start of the 10km race. Malacinski then recorded the best finish of the day for Men’s Nordic Combined in the 10km, placing 25th overall with a total time of 26:36.6. Loomis finished 30th overall, completing the 10km course with a time of 26:55.8. Schumann and Andrews then wrapped things up, with Schumann coming in 41st place (26:13.3) and Andrews coming in 42nd (28:59.4).
The final event of the weekend came on Sunday, November 26th, with athletes starting off on the cross country course for a Mass Start HS142/10km event. Schumann finished the Mass Start 10km in 14th place, recording a course time of 25:40.4. Malacinski finished the race in 17th, completing the course in 25:43.1. Loomis was close behind in 24th place, as he recorded a total time of 26:03.8. Andrews finished the 10km in 50th place, with a time of 28:13.5. Schumann was then able to finish in the points during the HS142 portion of the event, going 113.5 meters for 92.5 points. Loomis placed 29th after going 112.5 meters for 87.7 points, scoring World Cup points during all three events in Ruka. Malacinski was able to record World Cup points during all three events in Ruka as well, as he jumped to 110.5 meters for 85.0 points, placing 33rd overall during the Mass Start HS142/10km. Andrews finished things off for Men’s Nordic Combined, placing 45th overall after going 109.5 meters for 48.4 points.
Men’s Nordic Combined will be back in action this upcoming weekend, as they will compete in two World Cup events in Lillehammer, Norway, from December 1-3.
Men’s Ski Jumping
Men’s Ski Jumping kicked-off the weekend with a HS142 Qualification on Friday, November 24th. Andrew Urlaub was the first athlete to qualify, placing 38th overall, after putting together a 125.0 meter jump for 114.5 points. Belshaw was next, qualifying in 41st place, going 120.5 meters for 108.9 points. Decker Dean was the final athlete to qualify, landing in 50th place, after jumping to 105.5 meters for 79.0 points.
Urlaub, Belshaw and Dean then competed in the HS142 World Cup on Saturday, November 25th. Belshaw recorded the highest finish of the day, placing 42nd overall, as he recorded a 114.5 meter jump for 100.1 points. Urlaub finished 46th overall, going 107.0 meters for 86.6 points. Dean rounded things off for Men’s Ski Jumping, placing 50th overall (94.5 meters, 60.2 points), as all three athletes were unable to qualify for the final round of action.
The weekend then wrapped up on Sunday, November 26th, as athletes competed in both the HS142 Qualification and HS142 World Cup. Just like Friday, Urlaub was the first athlete to qualify, finishing in 27th place after going 116.5 meters for 105.0 points. Belshaw was next up, jumping to 111.5 meters for 98.4 points, as he placed 39th in qualification. Frantz was then able to qualify for his first-ever World Cup competition, as he placed 48th after going 106.0 meters for 73.8 points.
Later in the day on Sunday, Urlaub, Belshaw and Frantz all competed in the final HS142 World Cup of the weekend. During the first round, Urlaub jumped to 108.0 meters for 99.7 points, placing 48th overall, as he was unable to qualify for the second round. Frantz put together a 132.5 meter jump in the first round, giving him 137.7 points, as he was able to qualify for the final round. Belshaw was also able to qualify for the final round of action, soaring to 129.0 meters for 136.0 points. Belshaw then bested his first round jump, going 133.0 meters for 136.5 points (272.5 total points), placing 24th overall and matching his World Cup personal best finish. Frantz placed 30th overall in the HS142 World Cup, scoring his first-ever World Cup points, going 107.5 meters for 85.2 points (222.9 total points).
“As this is still one of my first times at this top stage of competitions, it’s easy to lose focus and get caught up with things out of my control. I know my good jumps in training recently have been at quite a high level, so I just wanted to keep it basic and hoped to produce a good jump when it mattered,” said USA Nordic athlete, Tate Frantz. “Yesterday’s competition was also the first time I’ve ever even qualified for the first round so there was a lot of new and exciting stuff. My first round jump was a great feeling to come over the knoll with some height and know I had nailed a good jump. Definitely an awesome feeling to have a great performance when it matters. Really happy for the whole team that we managed to have such a positive start to the season and I’m really looking forward to each and every week I get to travel and compete with this group of people.”
Men’s Ski Jumping will be back in action this upcoming weekend, as they will compete in two World Cup events in Lillehammer, Norway, from December 1-3.
