US Ski Jumpers Post Solid Outing in Lake Placid World Cup

The USA Ski Jumping team had one of its best World Cup outings in recent years on its home soil this past weekend in Lake Placid. In the men’s events, Americans Kevin Bickner and Tate Frantz posted top-20 results on back-to-back days. Bickner finished 13th on Feb. 8 and 14th on Feb. 9 – the best finish a US jumper has had at the Lake Placid World Cup since its return in 2023. Frantz, who is currently the top ranked American jumper, placed 19th on Feb. 8 and improved to 16th on Feb. 9. The close gap between the teammates, with only 0.3 points separating them on one day, highlighted the competitive spirit of the team.

Bickner, who previously finished 43rd on the same hill last year, credited a change in his mindset for his improved performance. In addition to the individual events, the mixed team event was a major highlight of the weekend. The US mixed squad—comprised of Frantz, Bickner, Annika Belshaw, and Josie Johnson—finished fifth, marking the best result for Team USA in this event since 2012.

The report also covered the women’s competition, the first-ever Women’s World Cup event held on US soil with equal prize money. While international competitors such as Slovenia’s Nika Prevc, Norway’s Eirin Maria Kvandal, and Canada’s Alexandria Loutitt dominated the podium, five American women (Annika Belshaw, Josie Johnson, Paige Jones, Sam Macuga, and Sandra Sproch) qualified for the competition. Despite some setbacks in the second round for some athletes, improvements were noted with career-best performances from Belshaw and Johnson.

In the mixed team event, the US squad outperformed teams from Finland, Poland, and Japan, although Germany won the title. Looking ahead, younger members of the US team, including Frantz and Johnson, are set to compete in the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Lake Placid this weekend, while the non-junior men will head to Sapporo, Japan, and the women will compete in Ljubno, Slovenia, for the next World Cup events.

Frantz reflected positively on his experience, noting that competing on home soil helped ease some of the pressure. He expressed hope that this solid outing would allow him to approach the upcoming championships with a more relaxed mindset.