Alexa Brabec raced to a career best finish on Sunday at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Schonach, Germany. She 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 3rd to 8th place went back and forth right up to the finish line. Alexa finished 7th overall, narrowly missing the podium by less than 8 seconds. An outstanding end to the weekend for Alexa and the team, who also had some great results.
On Saturday, Brabec finished with a new personal best finish in 10th in the Individual Gundersen HS100/5km event. Annika Malacinski also cracked the top 20 with an 18th-place finish. In the men’s event (HS100/10km), 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 HS100/5km 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 Alexa 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 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.
