USA Nordic - Weekend Recap: Nordic Combined Trondheim World Cups

Men’s and Women’s Nordic Combined wrapped up the 2023/2024 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup circuit yesterday in Trondheim, Norway. The weekend was highlighted by Niklas Malacinski, Annika Malacinski and Alexa Brabec, who carded top 20 finishes in their respective World Cup events on Sunday.

Competition in Trondheim got underway on Saturday, March 16th, as Ben Loomis, Niklas Malacinski, Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski represented the United States in the Mixed Team HS105/4x5km World Cup. On the hill, the four athletes were able to card 315.4 total points, placing them 9th overall for the 4x5km race. During the 4x5km, they were able to hold their position, finishing the course in 36:16.4 and coming in 9th place.

The final Nordic Combined World Cups of the 2023/2024 season came on Sunday, March 17th, as Men’s Nordic Combined first took the hill and course, competing in the HS138/10km World Cup. Niklas Malacinski recorded the best jump of the day, going 123.0 meters for 103.1 points, putting him in the 24th position for the 10km. Ben Loomis then jumped to 35th (117.0 meters, 95.9 points), with Stephen Schumann in 42nd (114.0 meters, 84.8 points) and Grant Andrews in 50th (106.0 meters, 75.3 points). During the 10km race, Malacinski was able to ski up, finishing the course in 22:15.2, placing 18th overall and notching his fourth top 20 finish of the season. Loomis came in at 35th place (22:54.1), with Schumann close behind in 39th (22:35.0), and Andrews rounding things off in 48th (24:03.9).

Annika Malacinski and Alexa Brabec then competed in the HS105/7.5km World Cup, as the two athletes looked to close their season out strong. On the hill, Malacinski jumped to 24th overall, going 78.5 meters for 69.5 total points. Brabec was close behind in 26th, jumping to 76.5 meters for 61.0 points. During the 7.5km race, both Malacinski and Brabec were able to ski up, with Malacinski placing 18th overall (20:44.8) and Brabec right behind in 19th (20:14.2). This was Malacinski’s 14th top 20 finish of the season, and Brabec’s 7th, closing out the 2023/2024 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup circuit on a high note.