Loomis Leads USA At Summer Grand Prix

Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) posted a career-best summer Grand Prix Nordic Combined result, finishing 18th Wednesday in Villach, Austria. Teammate Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), also posted a career-best result in 23rd. 

"It's great to see [Loomis] consistently improving,” said USA Nordic Team Director Clint Jones. “These events are a good barometer to see where we're at as we approach the winter competition schedule. Ben has put a lot of focused energy into his training and for it to be paying off is exciting."

Finland’s Ilkka Herola won the event, as Austria's Franz-Josef Rehle was second and teammate Mario Seidl was third. Loomis was 28th in the jumping portion and started two minutes and 24 seconds behind jump winner Rehle. In the 10k roller ski, he posted the eighth-fasted time and finished less than a minute off the podium. Jared Shumate (Park City, Utah) was 33rd Wednesday. 

The Summer Grand Prix, which is the equivalent to Winter World Cup, continues Aug. 24 and 25th in Germany. The 2018-19 World Cup season kicks off Nov. 23-25 in Ruka, Finland.

RESULTS
Men’s Individual Gundersen 10.0 km
Overall Standings (after two of three events)