Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Hunnisett | Spc. Benjamin Loomis scores 105.6 points during the Large Hill Competition jump at the...... read more read more
Two Nordic Combined Soldier-athletes assigned to the World Class Athlete Program were named to Team USA for the sport, and competed in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Spc. Benjamin Loomis, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Spc. Jasper Good, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, both were named to the team of four, joining civilian athletes Taylor Fletcher, and Jared Shumate.
The athletes had three events to look forward to going into the games: Normal Hill, Large Hill, and Team Large Hill. Nordic combined combines two sports: ski jumping and cross-country skiing, and has been a part of the Winter Olympics ever since the first games in 1924.
Normal Hill Event
Loomis, who averaged around 38th during the regular season, put out his personal best at the normal hill. A two-time Olympian, Loomis went into the cross-country race in 17th place, but managed to push to 15th by the end of the 10 kilometer sprint, with a time of 26:57.8.
“I’m really happy with finishing 15th overall,” said Loomis, the highest-placing American in the Normal Hill event. “I wasn’t totally satisfied with my jumping, but I was able to make up for that in the race.”
At his first Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, Loomis finished 41st at the same event.
Large Hill Event
Both Soldier-athletes pushed hard during the Large Hill Event, with Spc. Jasper Good setting his personal Winter Games best, moving up from his 43rd place finish in PyeongChang to 34th in Beijing with a time of 27:32.9.
“I’m psyched about my personal best at the Olympics in this event,” said Good. “I’m also very proud to be representing the U.S. Army in this Olympics as well.”
Loomis scored 105.6 points in the competition jump round of the Large Hill event, starting him in 17th place for the cross-country race. He finished in 19th place during the race, with a final time of 26:51.2.
Combined Team Event
The third and final event for Nordic combined concluded just three days before the end of the Olympic Games. For the combined team event, all four athletes work together to get the best time. Finishing with a total time of 53:07.1, the four athletes showed the U.S.’s best result since the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Both athletes have high hopes for the 2026 Winter Games, which will be held in Italy.
“I think we are going to continue to grow as a team, and we are still very young,” explained Loomis. “I believe we’re going to continue to get better as a team, and we will be up for some medals in 2026.”
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2022 13:36 |
| Story ID: | 415057 |
| Location: | BEIJING, BEIJING, CN |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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