LAHTI, Finland (Feb. 25, 2017) - Stefan Kraft of Austria took gold in the men’s HS100m ski jumping competition in dramatic fashion Saturday night in front of a packed house at Lahti Stadium to edge Germany’s Andreas Wellinger by a mere two points. Germany took silver and bronze.

It was a tough night for USA jumpers Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL) and Mike Glasder (Cary, IL) at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships who finished 47th and 49th. Bickner flew 83.5 meters on his first round jump, with Glasder going 82.0.

“It wasn’t my best effort,” said Bickner. “I’ve been consistently been jumping to 90 meters and that one was just 83. It’s kind of a bummer to not make a second jump.”

Glasder echoed the sentiments on his jump but is taking away a positive experience from World Championships. “It’s been a great experience here in Lahti - a lot longer than our normal World Cup week,” he said. “It’s a place with a lot of history and we like jumping here.”

On Sunday, Bickner and Glasder will join women’s jumpers Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) and Nita Englund (Florence, WI) in the mixed gender team event. From there the men move onto the large hill in Lahti Stadium for next week’s HS134m competition.

Both Glasder and Bickner were looking forward to the mixed gender team event Sunday. “Getting the men and women into the same event is an interesting concept,” said Bickner. “I’m confident we can do pretty well in that event.”

RESULTS
Men’s HS100m Ski Jumping

LAHTI, Finland (Feb. 24, 2017) – Germany swept the medals in the opening nordic combined event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with Johannes Rydzek taking gold. American Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) saw his medal hopes dashed just 200 meters from the finish when a crash took him out of medal contention.

Fletcher soared in the morning jumping round, finishing 16th with a 93.5-meter jump putting him 56 seconds back. More notably, Germany’s Eric Frenzel and eventual gold medalist Rydzek were in a group by themselves, with a pack of 16 skiers between 24 and 58 seconds back to battle for bronze. Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) also had a strong jump, standing 22^nd with a 92.0-meter ride putting him a minute, nine seconds out.

Fletcher put down a strong jump in the morning before the 10k. (Getty Images-Richard Heathcote)

“Jumping was good – it was really a good start to the day,” said Fletcher. “I knew that I could be in contention on this hill. I was confident going in that I could put down a good jump.”

In the 10k cross country, Frenzel and Rydzek shared the work from the start, skiing together until the final lap when Rydzek made a clear breakaway to repeat as World Champion in the normal hill event.

While the two Germans were playing cat and mouse, a huge pack formed in hunt for the bronze medal. Fletcher hung towards the back for the first two of four laps. On the third 2.5k leg, he moved his way up to take a position in the lead, coming through the stadium for a final time. As the race intensity picked up, Fletcher held his position on the front line, in a tactically strong position to challenge in the final stretch. But coming into the stadium on a hairpin downhill turn, he lost an edge and slid out – dropping from medal contention to 14th place in an eyelash.

“I knew it was going to be a hard cross country race because it was so tight and pack racing is always so difficult,” said Fletcher. “You’re not only fighting for position, but anything can happen. That’s exactly what happened to me today. I did really well in the pack and when I thought I had it locked up, I let my guard down and slipped out on a corner.”

Taylor Fletcher had a tough jump, but a fast ski to take 21st overall. (Getty Images-Matthias Hangst)

Bryan’s brother Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) found himself well back after the jump – a bitter disappointment. But he skied his way from 47th up to 21st with the third fastest cross country time.

The combined team is back in action Sunday with the 4x5k relay.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) led the USA in 15th at the opening Nordic combined event at World Championships, crashing 200 meters from the finish while in contention for bronze.
• Germany swept the medals, led by gold medalist Johannes Rydzek, taking the top four spots.
• Nordic combined action resumes Sunday with the 4x5k relay

U.S. Finishers
14 – Bryan Fletcher
21 – Taylor Fletcher
33 – Adam Loomis
41 – Ben Berend

Ben Berend jumped to 22nd. (Getty Images-Matthias Hangst) 

QUOTES

Bryan Fletcher
Jumping was good – it was really a good start to the day. I knew that I could be in contention on this hill. I was confident going in that I could put down a good jump.

I knew it was going to be a hard cross country race because it was so tight and pack racing is always so difficult. You’re not only fighting for position, but anything can happen. That’s exactly what happened to me today. I did really well in the pack and when I thought I had it locked up, I let my guard down and slipped out on a corner.

I wanted to be towards the front going into the last hill and out of trouble so I had a clear opportunity in the sprint at the end.

Today was a little bit of bad luck but the ingredients are there and hopefully I can put it together

RESULTS
Nordic Combined HS100m/10k Gundersen

LAHTI, Finland (Feb. 24, 2017) - In a hotly contested competition under the lights in Lahti Friday night, Germany’s Carina Vogt came from behind with a strong final round jump to take gold over Japan’s Yuki Ito and Sara Takahashi at the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT), the 2013 world champion, led the USA in 23rd. 

Vogt put down a near perfect 96.5 meter jump to win, bumping first run leader Maren Lundby to fourth. It was the third straight major championship title for Vogt, dashing the hopes of Takahashi - the sport’s leader who has yet to win an individual title. Vogt won gold at the Falun World Championships two years ago, as well as the debut gold medal at the Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

In the first round, Hendrickson, flew 86.5 meters to stand 21st. Nita Englund (Florence, WI) went 83.5 meters to stand 30th. On their final jumps, Hendrickson and Englund each went 82.0 meters. Englund finished 27th.

Hendrickson, in her first full season back since her knee injury in the summer of 2013, continues to fight pain. She took a break for a few weeks from the World Cup tour to rest at home in Utah, but came to the championships with enthusiasm.

“I was really excited when I arrived in Lahti,” said Hendrickson. “Seeing the vibes here helped me a ton. I haven't jumped in three weeks and training was actually good yesterday but today I struggled a lot.”

Hendrickson has fought through multiple surgeries and comebacks, looking at the championships as another step in the process. “I’ve put in so many hours but the light has yet to shine,” she said. “Nothing more to do today so I guess learn and regroup for the future.

Jumping continues with the mixed gender team event on Sunday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) as 23rd to lead the USA in the women’s HS100m jumping World Championship Friday night in Lahti.
• Germany’s Carina Vogt came from behind to win her first world title.
• Jumping continues with the mixed gender team event Sunday.

RESULTS
Women’s HS100m ski jumping

ALPENSIA, South Korea (Feb. 16, 2017) - Nita Englund put down her two best competitions of the season with a pair of top 10 finishes in the Olympic test event World Cup on the HS109m hill at Alpensia in PyeongChang. Englund soared to seventh and eighth in the two test events. Sara Takahashi and Yuki Ito split the wins for Japan.

In Wednesday’s opener, Englund flew 92.0 and 91.5 meters to finish seventh behind Ito. Thursday, she overcame a short opening round jump of 83.0 meters to fly 91.0 on the second round to finish eighth with Takahashi taking the win.

“It was a really interesting bunch of competitions,” said Englund, who traveled more than 30 hours to PyeongChang with just one rest day before the competition. “It was great to get a feeling for the hill - it is unique and quite nice for flying. I'm satisfied with the test event and it was nice to see the facilities for next year.”

It was the first trip for the women to PyeongChang, one year out before the start of the Olympic Winter Games.

“I thought the area was very beautiful,” she added. “I wish we also had time to do some alpine skiing as it looked quite nice! The jumping competition this week makes me excited to next year.”

Englund, along with teammate Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT), will now head to Lahti, Finland for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships that open Wednesday. Hendrickson sat out the last two World Cups to rest prior to World Championships.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Nita Englund (Florence, WI) had her best performances of the year finishing seventh and eighth in the Olympic test event World Cup on the HS109m hill at Alpensia in PyeongChang.
• Abby Ringquist (Park City, UT) had one of her best career performances finishing 12th in the first competition.
• World Championships open Wednesday in Lahti, Finland.

RESULTS
Women’s HS109m - Feb. 16, 2017
Women’s HS109m - Feb. 15, 2017

PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 18, 2017) - The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has named 11 athletes to the ski jumping and nordic combined teams that will compete in the International Ski Federation's 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships this month in Lahti, Finland. The biennial World Championships brings together the best athletes in the sport for the Feb. 22-March 5 event which will be live streamed in its entirely on NBCsports.com.

The nordic combined team will include five athletes, with jumping being represented by six.

Nordic combined skier Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) will be competing in his fifth World Championships. He was a part of the nordic combined team four-man relay that won bronze at Val di Fiemme, Italy in 2013. In Falun, Sweden two years ago, he led the USA with two top-10 finishes including a fifth in the large hill event where he was contending for a medal.It will be the first World Championships for brothers Adam and Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) and Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO). Ben Loomis was the silver medalist in nordic combined at last year’s Youth Olympic Games and recently finished top10 in the Junior Nordic World Championships in Utah.

The men's ski jumping team has been having a strong building year on the FIS World Cup tour with consistent and improving results. Will Rhoads (Park City, UT), who was on the World Championships team two years ago, is the only veteran on the squad. The remaining three all come out of the very strong Norge Ski Club outside Chicago including Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL), Michael Glasder (Cary, IL) and junior Casey Larson (Cary, IL).

Bickner, who was 11th at Junior Worlds a year ago, has recorded three top-30 World Cup finishes this season. Larson, still a junior, finished eighth in last week’s USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships.

Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT), returned to action this season after sitting out all of 2016 with a knee injury. Both she and Nita Englund (Florence, WI) have been American’s top two women on the World Cup tour this season.

Nordic combined will have four competitions - one more than in the Olympic Winter Games. They include two individual events - one each on the HS100m and HS130m ski jumping hill, plus a four-man team event and two-man team sprint.

Mens ski jumping will have two individual events plus a four-man team event. Women will jump on the HS100m hill and compete with the men in a mixed gender team event.

All of the events at the 2017 World Championships in Lahti will be streamed live in America on NBCsports.com.

2017 USA NORDIC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS NORDIC COMBINED TEAM
(Name, hometown, USSA club, birthdate, age at start of championships)
Ben Berend, Steamboat Springs, CO (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 6/29/1995 (21)
Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 6/27/1986 (30) * **
Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 5/11/1990 (26) * **
Adam Loomis, Eau Claire, WI (Flying Eagles Ski Club) 3/19/1992 (24)
Ben Loomis, Eau Claire, WI (Flying Eagles Ski Club) 6/9/1998 (18)
* Past World Championship team member
** Olympian

2017 USA NORDIC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SKI JUMPING TEAM
(Name, hometown, USSA club, birthdate, age at start of championships)
Men
Kevin Bickner, Wauconda, IL (Norge Ski Club) 9/23/1996 (20)
Michael Glasder, Cary, IL (Norge Ski Club)  3/27/1989 (27)
Casey Larson, Barrington, IL (Norge Ski Club) 12/16/1998 (18)
Will Rhoads, Park City, UT (UOP Sports Clubs) 6/8/1995 (21) *

Women
Nita Englund, Florence, WI (Kiwanis Ski Club) 6/10/1992 (24) *
Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, UT (Women's Ski Jumping U.S.A.) 8/1/1994 (22) * **
* Past World Championship team member
** Olympian

MOST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAMS (3 or more teams)
Bryan Fletcher - 5 (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
Taylor Fletcher - 4 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)

2017 FIS NORDIC WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lahti, Finland
Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined (Finnish times; seven hours ahead of EST)
 

Wednesday, Feb. 22
7:00 p.m. Opening Ceremony

Friday, Feb. 24
10:30 a.m. - Nordic combined individual HS100m
1:30 p.m. - Nordic combined 10k Gundersen
2:30 p.m. - Men’s ski jumping qualification HS100m
5:30 p.m. - Women’s ski jumping HS100m

Saturday, Feb. 25
5:30 p.m. - Men’s ski jumping HS100m

Sunday, Feb. 26
12:00 p.m. - Nordic combined team competition HS100m
3:30 p.m. - Nordic combined 4x5k team relay
5:30 p.m. - Ski jumping mixed team HS100m

Wednesday, Mar. 1
12:00 p.m. - Nordic combined individual HS130m
4:15 p.m. - Nordic combined individual 10k Gundersen
6:00 p.m. - Men’s ski jumping qualification HS130m

Thursday, Mar. 2
6:30 p.m. - Men’s ski jumping HS130m

Friday, Mar. 3
4:00 p.m. - Nordic combined team sprint HS130m
6:15 p.m. - Nordic combined team relay 2x7.5k

Saturday, Mar. 4
5:15 p.m. - Men’s ski jumping team HS130m

Sunday, Mar. 5
5:35 p.m. - Closing Ceremony

PAST USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALISTS
1 - Johnny Spillane, nordic combined sprint - 2003, Val di Fiemme
1 - Lindsey Van, ski jumping normal hill - 2009, Liberec
1 - Todd Lodwick, nordic combined mass start - 2009, Liberec
1 - Todd Lodwick, nordic combined gundersen/normal hill - 2009, Liberec
1 - Bill Demong, nordic combined gundersen/large hill - 2009, Liberec
1 - Sarah Hendrickson, ski jumping normal hill - 2013 Val di Fiemme
2 - Bill Demong, nordic combined gundersen - 2007, Sapporo
3 - Bill Demong, nordic combined gundersen - 2009, Liberec
3 - Anders Haugen, ski jumping - 1924, Chamonix

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 5, 2017) – Slovenia soared to the final gold medal of the 2017 USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships, winning the mixed team HS100 at the Utah Olympic Park Sunday. Germany won the silver medal and Japan won the bronze.

Slovenia won the mixed team HS100 at the Utah Olympic Olympic Park Sunday. (FIS-Romina Eggert)

This was the second time the mixed team event has been held at the Junior Nordic World Championships, and Slovenia defended their gold medal won last year at Rnov, Romania.

Slovenia returned two members from their 2016 winning team, including Ema Klinec and Nika Kriznar, who teamed up with Tilen Bartol and Ziga Jelar, to win Sunday.

Unfortunately, Team USA was disqualified on a Ben Loomis suit violation in the first round.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Slovenia won the mixed team HS100 at the 2017 USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships.
• Germany won the silver medal and Japan won the bronze.
• Team USA was disqualified on a Ben Loomis suit violation in the first round.

QOUTES
Ema Klinec (Slovenia)
It’s my third medal here in Park City. If I have to choose which one is the most important I’d say it’s the one I won in the Individual competition. However, today’s gold medal also means a lot because today I was able to show my very best jumps of all competitions here in Park City. I was Junior World Champion with the Mixed Team last year already and it was very important to us to defend that title. It’s so hard to get on top, but in my opinion it’s even harder to stay there.

Manami Watanabe (Japan)
I had some problems with the timing in both of my jumps. However, the boys did a very good job, so we were able to take the bronze medal. That’s a huge success for us.

RESULTS
Mixed Team HS100

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 4, 2017) – Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger took the final individual gold medal of the USANA FIS Junior Nordic World Championships, winning the men’s 5k nordic combined Saturday at the Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow.

“It’s great to be on top of the podium today, after the 10k it was so hard for me due to some illness and an injury after I fell at the World Cup in Chaux Neuve,” Geiger said. “It just feels amazing to be Junior World Champion now.”

Finland’s Arttu Mkiaho (left) was second, Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger won the gold and Laurent Muhlethaler of France was third in Saturday's nordic combined. (U.S. Ski Team-Tom Kelly)

Finland’s Arttu Mkiaho, who won the gold in the 10k combined earlier in the week, finished second, while Laurent Muhlethaler of France was third. It was a solid day for the Americans, as Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) was niinth and Stephen Schumann (Park City, UT) finished 15^th.

Athletes faced some challenging condition during the jumping portion as headwinds and heavy snow led to a 10-minute break. Combined with the shorter 5k distance, the athletes had their work cut out for them to gain every precious meter and second possible.

Ben Loomis was ninth in the nordic combined. (U.S. Ski Team-Tom Kelly)

“5K really places a big importance on the jumping,” Loomis said. “It’s a lot harder to make up time, and these Europeans are really quick.”

Geiger took a four-second lead into the 5k race, eventually extending his winning margin to more than 22 seconds over Mkiaho, who outsprinted Muhlethaler at the line for the silver medal. Mkiaho, who was recovering from the flu, posted the day’s fastest 5k time, after starting 9^th following the jumping portion.

The USANA FIS Junior Nordic World Championships wrap up Sunday with the men and women’s mixed relays at Soldier Hollow, and the mixed team HS100 jumping competition at the Utah Olympic Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger the men’s 5k nordic combined Saturday at the Utah Olympic Park.
• Finland’s Arttu Mkiaho finished second, while Laurent Muhlethaler of France was third.
• Ben Loomis was the top American in 9^th, and Stephen Schumann finished 15^th.

QUOTES
Vinzenz Geiger
It’s great to be on top of the podium today, after the 10km it was so hard for me due to some illness and an injury after I fell at the World Cup in Choux Neuve. It just feels amazing to be Junior World Champion now.“

Arttu Mkiaho
Before I came here I did never expect that I would be going home with two medals. Those two competitions were just fantastic for me. The race was pretty tough. I caught a cold after the team event, but after getting some sleep I felt a lot better this morning. I knew that if I did well on the hill, a medal would be possible. And here it is now. I’m super satisfied."

Laurent Muhlethaler
I had a great feeling today. This morning on the ski jump I had a good jump, which was important since the 5km race is so intense. I really wanted to win a medal. That I achieved it makes me super happy.“

Ben Loomis
5K really places a big importance on the jumping. It’s a lot harder to make up time and these Europeans are really quick.

I was happy with (my jump), but I’m never really satisfied. I’m always hoping for more and that keeps me motivated.

Stephen Schumann
It’s a lot harder to make up time on a 5k because it’s that much shorter and everyone is going that much faster. So it really makes it difficult to do too much in the race. It’s still possible, you just have to push yourself that extra level.

I was just looking to chase down as may people as I could, but I knew that if I went out too hard that there was no way I’d be able to finish the race, and I’d get passed by a bunch of people at the end. So I just tried to take it a little easy the first lap, then push it as hard as I could on the second lap and over the very last hill and try to drop the guys I was with.

RESULTS
Nordic Combined 5k

PARY CITY, UT (Feb. 3, 2017) – Germany, Slovenia and Austria dominated the men and women’s team HS100 at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships Friday at the Utah Olympic Park.

In the men’s competition, Slovenia took the gold, followed by Germany in second and Austria in third. In the women’s event, Germany soared to gold, while Slovenia was second and Austria third.

Germany soared to gold, while Slovenia was second and Austria third in the women’s Team HS100. (FIS-Romina Eggert)

Team USA finished 11^th in the men’s competition, and eighth in the women’s event.

Competition concludes Sunday with the Mixed Team HS100 a the Utah Olympic Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Slovenia won the men’s HS100 at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships at the Utah Olympic Park.
• Germany won the women’s HS100 at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships at the Utah Olympic Park.

QUOTES
Tim Fuchs – Germany
The competition was very difficult, but we had good jumps.

Mika Schwann – Austria
It was so amazing! We were in fourth place the whole second round, then the last jump came, and it’s just unbelievable now. It’s amazing.

The hill was prepared very well. The wind was kind of changing, but all in all it was OK.

Ziga Jelar – Slovenia
We knew we were we’re in good shape, so we expected first or something, so it’s real nice. It was close, a little bit windy at the end. But I think our jumps were good and the hill was good – it’s awesome!

Julia Huber – Austria
Everyone on our team showed some good jumps and we all can be satisfied. I didn’t show some good jumps until today, so I’m really happy about today. We didn’t think about a specific place, we just wanted to jump and see where it would bring us. So this is better than expected.

Gianina Ernst – Germany
We did our best jump and now we are very happy to win. It was a great competition, a little bit difficult with the wind, but everyone did well, and now we win it, so we’re very happy.

Ema Klinec - Slovenia
I came here without any expectations because I was looking to just do my best jumps. I’m not satisfied with my jumps, but I’m really happy with our team.

RESULTS
Men's Team HS100
Women’s Team HS100

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 2, 2017) – Austria’s Mika Vermeulen skied his team to the gold medal in the anchor leg of the men’s Team HS100/4x5k at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships Thursday. France took the silver medal and the Czech Republic the bronze medal.

Japan soared to the lead in the morning jumping, followed closely by Germany. However, Germany’s Maximilian Pfordte fell after landing a jump of 93.5m and suffered knee injury. Pfordte did compete in the 5k in obvious pain, but unfortunately, much like Japan, he wasn’t able to hold off the faster skiers from Austria, France and the Czech Republic.

Theo Rochat of France leads Florian Dagn of Austria in the third leg of the Team HS100/4x5k relay Thursday. (U.S. Ski Team-Tom Kelly)

In the 5k, Austria, France and Czech Republic stayed together throughout much of the race. Heading into the final leg, Austria and France held a small gap over the Czech Republic. But on the final leg, Vermeulen, who had already taken the silver medal in the 10k individual two days earlier, skated away from France’s Mael Tyrode to seal the win.

Lukas Danek from Czech Republic caught Tyrode and the two battled to the finish, with Tyrode slipping ahead in the final kilometer take the silver medal for France.

The Austrian team won the gold in the Team HS100/4x5k relay at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships Thursday. (U.S. Ski Team-Tom Kelly)

Team USA - Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI), Stephen Schumann (Park City, UT), Grant Andrews (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Elijah Vargas (Steamboat Springs, CO) – finished seventh.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Austria claimed the men’s Team HS100/4x5k gold medal at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships Thursday.
• France took the silver medal and the Czech Republic won the bronze medal.
• Team USA - Elijah Vargas, Grant Andrews, Ben Loomis and Stephen Schumann - finished seventh.
• The final Nordic Combined event of the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships, the individual HS100/5k takes pace Saturday.

Austria won the gold, France took the silver medal and the Czech Republic the bronze medal. (FIS-Romina Eggert)

QUOTES
Samuel Mraz (Austria)
We had four really good jumps on the hill this morning, that put is into a very good position for the race. We’re all good cross country skiers and everyone did his very best, so we were able to send Mika Vermeulen out on the first position. And Mika is just Mika obviously (smiles). We also had very good skis, so we would like to thank our service team very much.

Laurent Muhlethaler (France)
Winning a medal at the Junior World Championships was our goal before we came here, but really fulfilling it is something totally different and absolutely incredible.

Lilian Vaxelaire (France)
This morning we had four solid jumps on the hill. During the race we managed to close the gap to the Japanese guys in front very quickly and to stay together with the Austrian team throughout the whole race.

Jan Vytrval (Czech Republic)
It was a great race. We did really well on the ski jumping hill and also on the cross country track. We’re very happy about winning the bronze medal. You do not come in third in Junior World Championships every day.

Ondrej Pazout (Czech Republic)
We would also like to thank our service men.

Stephen Schumann (USA)
I knew Team Germany and Team Norway were fast, and I was the anchor leg, so I knew everyone around me was going to be fast. So my goal was to keep up with Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger, we started together and I was with him the entire first lap. Going into the second lap he turned it on and I couldn’t hold on. He took off and that was that.

[On improving at this year’s World Championships]
Last year (at the Junior World Championships) I was 31^st in the 10k individual, and this year, on Tuesday, I was able to get 10^th place. I think that testament to my coaches helping me out. I’ve got a lot faster on the skiing side, better jumping all around, so yeah, everything has improved a little bit.

[On skating the anchor leg]
Its pretty nerve wracking honestly, going in knowing you’re they guy that has to come out with a good race to finish it off for the team and bring in a good result. It’s stressful, but at the same time, it’s an honor to be able to be the guy that everyone trusts to finish the race for them.

[On Saturday’s individual HS100/5k]
I know I’m going to have to jump better (in the 5k). In the 10k I started 28^th, and I know I’m going to have to start in the top 15 if I’m going to improve on my top 10. The race, it’s 5k, so it’s completely different. Some guys are a lot stronger in the 5k, so I’m just going to have to recover well these next couple of days and see what I can do on Saturday.

RESULTS
Men's Team HS100/4x5 Km

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 1, 2017) – Viktor Polasek of the Czech Republic and Manuela Malsiner of Italy took top honors in the men and women’s HS100-meter ski jumping at the USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park.

Viktor Polasek of the Czech Republic (center) took the gold in the HS100-meter as Alex Insam of Italy was second (left) and Germany’s Constantin Schmid in third. (FIS-Romina Eggert)

Rounding out the podium for the men were Alex Insam of Italy in second and Germany’s Constantin Schmid in third. For the women, Slovenia’s Ema Klinec was second and Nika Kriznar was third.

It was a banner day for American Casey Larson (Barrington, IL) of the Norge Ski Club outside Chicago. Larson soared to sixth after the first round with a 92.5 meter ride. In the final round, he went 92.0 meters and dropped down to eighth overall – one spot away from the American Junior Worlds men's record held by U.S. Coach Clint Jones from 2002.

Italy’s Manuela Malsiner won the women’s HS100-meter as Slovenia’s Ema Klinec (left) was second and Nika Kriznar was third. (FIS-Romina Eggert)

In the women’s event, Gabby Armstrong (Lake Placid, NY) of the New York Ski Education Foundation was 37^th.

Competition continues Friday with the team event, followed by the mixed gender team event on Sunday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Viktor Polasek of the Czech Republic flew 97 meters to win the men’s HS100-meter Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park.
• Manuela Malsiner of Italy soared 95.5 meters to win the women’s HS100-meter Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park.
• Casey Larson was the top U.S. finisher for the men in eighth – one spot away from the American record at Junior Worlds.

QUOTES
Viktor Polasek
It feels great to be Junior World Champion now. I came here with big expectations and I’m glad I was able to fulfill them. In last year’s Junior World Championships I was fourth and I expected to be better this time. So I’m extremely satisfied.

Alex Insam
For me the training went pretty well, which is why I went into the competition with big expectations. I’m happy that I could fulfill these expectations. This result really is my biggest success so far.

Constantin Schmid
After the training I didn’t expect that I’d be on the podium in the end. I’m very happy that things worked out for me.

Casey Larson
I definitely felt pretty good, honestly.  The trainings were around there so I just kind of hoped I could have my best jump and then I can’t worry about what place I’m in after that just because I know I’ll be happy.  I put down two solid jumps that I was really pumped about so I really can’t complain about anything today.

This hill is definitely funky and different from a lot of hills in Europe or the Midwest where I am from. But we know it super well, us Americans, because we are out here all Summer most of us, so I felt confident on the hill and I think we had a leg up in that respect.

There’s a couple competitions left so I just want to keep that groove going and not try too hard and let it flow.

RESULTS
Men’s HS100
Women’s HS100

AUDIO INTERVIEWS
Viktor Polasek
Constantin Schmid
Alex Insam
Casey Larsen