Steamboat crowns three at Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined National Championships
Originally published in Steamboat Pilot on October 15, 2024
Steamboat crowns three at Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined National Championships
Steamboat Springs Nordic combined skiers swept the women's podium at the U.S. Nordic Combined National Championships on Oct. 12-13 at the Olympic venues in Lake Placid, New York. From left, Ella Wilson, Alexa Brabec and Haley Brabec took second, first and third, respectively.
Steamboat Springs athletes won four national championship titles among three athletes at the Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined National Championships on Saturday and Sunday at the Olympic venues in Lake Placid, New York.
Steamboat ski jumper Annika Belshaw is now the U.S. National Champion for the fourth consecutive year, winning two titles this weekend. Joining her with gold medals are Niklas Malacinski and Alexa Brabec, who won the men’s and women’s Nordic combined competitions, respectively.
Jumps were performed at the Lake Placid Olympic Jump Complex and Nordic combined athletes took on the cross-country roller ski races at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
Saturday began with jumps off the HS100 ski jump where Belshaw dazzled the crowd on a jump of 93 meters with more style points than any other female jumper. Style points were hard to come by on the first day due to the tricky windy conditions.
Only two points separated first and third place in the men’s round where Erik Belshaw — Annika’s brother — earned the silver medal with a jump of 95.5 meters while Steamboat’s Decker Dean took third with a 96-meter jump and fewer style points.
In the Nordic combined event, Malacinski earned the national title after jumping to second place and beginning the cross-country race 34 seconds behind the leader. Malacinski skied up to first by completing the 10-kilometer race in 23 minutes, 49.1 seconds — the third fastest time overall.
Alexa Brabec represented Steamboat proudly by taking the national championship due to her speedy 12:40.2 time in the 5k cross-country roller ski race. Steamboat athletes swept the podium with Ella Wilson taking second after posting the longest ski jump of the competition at 81 meters. Haley Brabec, Alexa’s younger sister, took third on the challenging course.
“This weekend really highlighted the special qualities of this sport,” said Jill Brabec, Nordic Combined USA chairperson, in a news release. “We watched young athletes having fun and landing some awesome jumps on the 10-, 20- and 45-meter jump hills and then we moved into National Champs with our elite Nordic Combined athletes showing the grit and determination that defines the sport. The Nordic Combined family is tight-knit even as it reaches across the entire U.S., and we see a bright future for the sport to continue to grow.”
Day 2 continued with two competition jumps for ski-jumping athletes on the HS128 hill. The wind settled down leading to even stronger performances across the board, especially for Annika Belshaw, who soared to victory a second time, winning her eighth career U.S. National Championship on a jump of 119 meters.
Following the National Championships, Nordic athletes will have a month to continue training as the World Cup season approaches. The Nordic combined World Cup season opens in Ruka, Finland Nov. 29-Dec. 1 while the ski jumping World Cups start in Lillehammer, Norway on Nov. 22.
See Also
Steven Schumann on podium at Nordic Combined Nationals
October 16, 2024 / TownLift, Park City News
Olympic Veterans Steer U.S. Nordic Combined Team into the 2024-25 Season
September 18, 2024 / TownLift, Park City News