Nordic combined pairs ski jumping and cross-country skiing into a single competition that demands both technical precision and endurance, requiring athletes to compete and train in two separate disciplines.
Results from the ski jumping portion are scored and converted into time differences, which then determine the staggered start order for the cross-country race, and the first skier to cross the finish line wins the event.
Nordic combined has faced declining participation, limited broadcast exposure and growing questions about its long-term place on the Olympic program as organizers push for broader appeal and modernization. Nordic combined remains the only Olympic winter sport without gender parity as women are barred from the Olympic program. And for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, the men’s field has been halved to 36 athlete spots.
Ben Loomis
Ben Loomis grew up ski jumping at the Flying Eagles Ski Club in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, following his older brother into the sport of Nordic combined at age 5. He moved to Park City at 15 and attended the Winter Sports School to balance his training with academics.
His rise included three Junior World Championship appearances, six U.S. Junior National titles, and selection to multiple senior World Championship teams. He represented the United States at both the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and remains one of the most experienced athletes in the U.S. program.
In 2019, Loomis joined the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, which supports a small group of elite athletes by allowing them to train and compete full time while building military careers. Through the program, Loomis races internationally on the World Cup circuit while representing both Team USA and the U.S. Army.
Now in his third Olympic cycle, Loomis is using his 10 years of experience on the national team to mentor and anchor his teammates while continuing to chase gold.
Niklas Malacinski
Niklas Malacinski found Nordic combined growing up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where exposure to Olympic athletes after the 2010 Winter Games helped spark his interest in the sport.
“I got to hold their medals,” he said. “I think at that moment I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do high-level sports.’”
Malacinski joined the U.S. National Team in 2018, alongside his sister, Annika, and has steadily progressed through the international ranks. He qualified for the 2021 and 2023 World Championships, won his first U.S. National Championship in 2024, and opened the 2024-25 World Cup season with a career-best 13th-place finish in Ruka, Finland. He finished the 2024-25 season ranked 26th in the world.
Stephen Schumann
Stephen Schumann grew up in Park City, where his path into one of winter sport’s most demanding disciplines began early.
He first tried ski jumping at age 5, drawn to the sensation of flight, and added Nordic skiing soon after — a combination that set him on the road to Nordic combined, which blends technical jumping with endurance racing.
A product of the Park City Ski and Snowboard Club and the Park City Winter Sports School, Schumann qualified for the U.S. Nordic Combined National Team in 2016 and made his World Cup debut at just 16. He represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and has since been a steady presence on the World Cup and World Championship circuits, including a season-best 23rd-place World Cup finish in 2024 and multiple top-10 team results at world championships.
Schumann’s momentum was interrupted this fall after a complex knee injury sustained at nationals in Lake Placid required surgery, sidelining him for the entire 2025-26 season. Now focused on recovery, the Arizona State University student remains committed to returning to the sport he’s pursued for nearly two decades, just not in time for this Olympic run.
The Women of Nordic Combined
Nordic combined has been a part of the Olympic legacy for more than 100 years, and it is the only Winter Olympic sport to exclude women from competing. For today’s women, excellence alone isn’t enough. While racing full World Cup schedules and climbing the global rankings, they also carry the responsibility of growing visibility for women’s Nordic combined, proving its competitiveness, depth and audience appeal. Their work off the snow is as critical as their results as the sport’s future remains uncertain.
Alexa Brabec
Originally from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Alexa Brabec has emerged as one of the leading athletes in women’s Nordic combined, ranking ninth in the world at the end of last season.
Now 20, Brabec began skiing almost as soon as she could walk and found Nordic combined as a teenager, debuting on the World Cup circuit at just 15.
During the 2025-26 season, Brabec established herself as one of the sport’s most reliable performers with multiple top-three finishes and consecutive second-place results in World Cup races in December.
Currently ranked among the world’s best, Brabec balances competitive success with advocacy, using her platform to push for Olympic inclusion for women’s Nordic combined while proving the discipline’s depth and competitiveness on snow.
Annika Malacinski
Annika Malacinski grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in a family steeped in winter sport, alongside her younger brother Niklas, now one of the top young men in U.S. Nordic combined.
While Niklas found the sport first, Annika carved her own path after transitioning from competitive gymnastics as a teenager, drawn to the challenge and passion she saw in her brother. Ranked 15th in the world by the end of last season, Malacinski is known as much for her leadership as her results. She trains and competes at the highest level while also serving as one of the most visible advocates for women’s Nordic combined, spending countless hours on outreach, media, and community engagement to push for Olympic inclusion.
Even knowing she will not follow her brother onto the Olympic start list, Annika continues to push the sport forward, racing at the highest level while fighting for a future she hopes she will reach.