Steamboat’s Brabec earns World Cup personal best

Steamboat’s Brabec earns World Cup personal best

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Alexa Brabec flies down the HS100 ski jump in Schonach, Germany, during a Nordic Combined World Cup event on Saturday and Sunday. Brabec earned two top-10 finishes with a personal-best seventh-place on Sunday.

Putting up just one personal best over the weekend was not enough for Steamboat Springs Nordic combined skier Alexa Brabec.

The 20-year-old nailed two top-10 finishes at the World Cup event in Schonach, Germany, taking her personal-best 10th on Saturday, and following up with an even better seventh-place finish on Sunday.

On Day 1, Brabec jumped to 14th, later skiing up to 10th with the sixth-fastest cross country race on the 5-kilometer course. She crossed the finish less than a minute behind the race winner.

Steamboat’s Annika Malacinski managed to crack the top-20 for the third time this season, placing 18th.

For the men, Steamboat’s Niklas Malacinski continued his strong World Cup campaign, placing 21st.

Day 2 of the World Cup, Brabec had a power jump of 92 meters, landing her in 12th place at the start of the 5-kilometer ski race. She battled her way up to the second grouping, which was full of third- to eighth-place skiers.

That grouping saw a lot of overtakes, leading to just an eight-second gap between the podium position and seventh, Brabec’s finishing spot. Brabec skied the fifth-quickest on the cross country course.

Annika Malacinski secured her fourth top-20 on Sunday, taking 20th.

Niklas Malacinski once again led the way for the U.S. men, taking 17th.

The U.S. Nordic combined team has its eyes locked in on the World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway at the end of February. In the meantime, the team travels to Seefeld, Austria, for the fifth World Cup event on the circuit from Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

Beginning in 12th, Steamboat Nordic combined skier Alexa Brabec skis up to seventh overall at the World Cup in Schonach, Germany on Sunday. Seventh is Brabec’s personal best.

To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email [email protected].