Eau Claire’s Ben Loomis Makes a Strong Showing in Latest Olympic Event
skier competed early Tuesday, slated for team event Thursday
Considering the 14-hour time difference between China and Wisconsin, it’s hard to watch Eau Claire native Ben Loomis competing live for the U.S. of A. during the Winter Olympics in Beijing. So consider this a “spoiler alert” in case you want to maintain the suspense until you can see tape-delayed highlights on NBC later Tuesday.
Got it? OK.
Loomis, who is competing in his second Olympics as part of the U.S. Nordic combined team, posted a strong finish Tuesday in the large hill/10km event, placing 19th out of 47 athletes. (For comparison, he had finished 40th overall in the same event four years ago in South Korea.) The event combines ski jumping with cross-country skiing a 10km course. Loomis jumped 129 meters (423 feet), then skied 10km in 26:51.2. (If my math is right, that’s nearly 14mph – faster than a champion-level marathon runner.)
“I’m happy with how today went, overall it was just a solid day. Result wise, I placed 17th again after jumping, just like the normal hill,” Loomis said in a media release from USA Nordic. “However, I was happier with the jump that I put down today. Looking forward to the team event on Thursday, I’m very excited. We’re in a pretty good spot as a team, everyone is skiing well and having some great jumps.”
Teammate Jared Shumate placed 17th overall, while fellow American Taylor Fletcher was 23rd. The gold medal went to Norway’s Joergen Graabak.
The men’s Nordic combined team will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 17, for the team large hill/4x5km event – the last Nordic combined event of the Games. Here’s how to tune in:
How to Watch – Men’s Nordic Combined
Thursday, Feb. 17
2:00am EST – Men’s Nordic Combined Team Large Hill – Zhangjiakou, China
- Live: Steaming on NBCOlympics.com & NBC Sports App
- Live: Streaming on Peacock
- Daytime: 2:00pm EST on NBC
6:00am EST – Men’s Nordic Combined Team 4×5 10km – Zhangjiakou, China
- Live: Steaming on NBCOlympics.com & NBC Sports App
- Live: Streaming on Peacock
- Daytime: 3:30pm EST on NBC
