Park City, Utah (March 4, 2024) – Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined wrapped up their respective World Cup events yesterday in Lahti, Finland. Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz highlighted the weekend for Men’s Ski Jumping, with Frantz recording two top 20 finishes, and Belshaw recording a top 15 finish. For Men’s Nordic Combined, the weekend was highlighted by Niklas Malacinski, who notched his third top 20 finish of the season.
Men’s Ski Jumping
Athletes took the hill for the HS130 Qualification and Individual HS130 World Cup on Friday, March 1st, as Andrew Urlaub, Casey Larson, Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz represented the United States. During the qualification, Belshaw recorded the highest finish, placing 26th overall with a jump of 114.5 meters for 105.0 points. Frantz was close behind in 29th, as he put together a 116.0 meter jump for 102.3 points. Larson qualified in 43rd, after going 112.0 meters for 92.6 points, with Urlaub finishing just outside of qualifying in 53rd (100.5 meters, 73.6 points). Later in the day, during the Individual HS130 World Cup, Larson carded a 115.0 meter jump for 99.0 points, as he placed 42nd overall and was unable to qualify for the final round. Belshaw then put together jumps of 126.5 and 117.5 meters in two rounds, notching 227.0 total points, as he was able to place 24th overall. Frantz was then able to card a new World Cup personal best finish, placing 17th overall with jumps of 128.0 and 121.0, tallying 234.5 points.
Urlaub, Larson, Belshaw and Frantz then competed in the Team HS130 World Cup on, Saturday, March 2nd. In the first round, the four athletes were able to score 378.5 total points, as they qualified for the final round of action. The foursome was able to place 8th overall, totaling 359.6 points in the final round, giving them 738.1 total points on the day.
Competition in Lahti wrapped up on Sunday, March 3rd, as athletes took the hill for another HS130 Qualification and Individual HS130 World Cup. Belshaw placed 10th overall in the qualification, as he went 124.5 meters for 119.8 points. Frantz was close behind in 15th, jumping to 126.0 for 118.6 points. Larson was the final athlete to qualify in 48th (107.0 meters, 82.1 points), with Urlaub finishing just outside of qualification in 54th. Belshaw and Frantz then continued their great day on the hill, as Belshaw jumped to 119.0 and 122.0 meters, giving him 225.7 points, and placing 15th overall. Frantz then carded his second top 20 finish of the weekend, placing 18th overall after going 118.5 meters in both rounds, as he finished the day with 223.8 total points.
Women’s Ski Jumping
Annika Belshaw and Paige Jones represented the United States at the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup events in Lahti, Finland. Competition got underway on Thursday, February 29th, as athletes took the hill for the HS130 Qualification. Jones finished 31st overall, going 101.5 meters for 78.1 points, with Belshaw right behind in 32nd, as she jumped to 102.0 meters for 76.7 points. Both athletes were able to qualify for the Individual HS130 World Cup, which was held on Friday, March 1st. During the first round Belshaw went 103.5 meters for 78.0 points, putting her 33rd overall. Jones jumped to 37th place, going 95.0 meters for 63.7 points, as both athletes were unable to advance to the final round, ending their time in Lahti.
Men’s Nordic Combined
Competition in Lahti kicked-off on Saturday, March 2nd, as athletes competed in the Team HS130/2×7.5km World Cup event. Niklas Malacinski and Stephen Schumann were paired together, with Schumann going 113.5 meters on the hill, and Malacinski following up with a 116.0 meter jump of his own. This gave the duo 195.3 total points, placing them 11th overall for the 2×7.5km race. Ben Loomis and Grant Andrews were then paired together, carding 129.4 points on the hill, as Loomis went 102.5 meters, with Andrews adding a 97.5 meter jump of his own, placing the duo 18th overall. Malacinski and Schumann were then able to ski up in the 2×7.5km, placing 6th overall with a time of 34:31.7, as they carded the 4th fastest time of the day. Andrews and Loomis placed 15th overall, as they finished the 2×7.5km in 36:13.7.
The final event of the weekend came on Sunday, March 3rd, as athletes competed in the HS130/10km World Cup. On the hill, Malacinski jumped to 26th overall, going 114.0 meters for 96.6 points. Loomis then landed in the 31st position (114.0 meters, 92.8 points), with Andrews coming in 36th (109.5 meters, 89.6 points) and Schumann in 40th (106.0 meters, 82.0 points). In the 10km race, Malacinski was able to ski up and place 20th overall, notching his third top 20 of the season after finishing the course in 22:55.2. Loomis skied up as well, finishing the 10km in 23:16.3, as he was able to place 26th overall. Schumann skied up to finish 30th overall, finishing the course in 23:08.9, with Andrews close behind in 35th (24:10.7 total time).
