Brabec Just Misses Podium in Schonach
Alexa Brabec raced to a career best finish on Sunday, Jan. 19, at the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Schonach, Germany.
Brabec had a power jump of 92 meters, landing her in 12th place going into the 5k ski race. She was then able to ski up in a tight race where third to eighth place went back and forth to the finish line. Alexa finished seventh overall, narrowly missing the podium by less than eight seconds.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, Brabec finished with a new personal best finish in 10th in the individual Gundersen HS100/5k event. Annika Malacinski also cracked the top 20 with an 18th place finish. In the men’s event (HS100/10k), Niklas Malacinski led the U.S. team to a solid 21st place finish, followed by Ben Loomis in 24th, Stephen Schumann in 47th and Erik Lynch in 50th.
In Sunday's individual compact HS100/5k event, Annika Malacinski secured another top 20 result, finishing in 20th place. On the men’s side, Niklas Malacinski delivered the top U.S. result with a 17th place finish, followed by Stephen Schumann in 28th, Erik Lynch in 42nd and Ben Loomis in 49th.
With Brabec’s breakthrough performances and consistent efforts from the entire team, the weekend shows the progress and potential of U.S. athletes on the World Cup circuit. Looking toward the FIS World Ski Championships at the end of February, the U.S. Nordic Combined team is on track for more top finishes and career-best races.
