BEIJING — Wisconsin's Ben Loomis put on the best performance of any American men in the Nordic Combined event in Beijing this year. The Eau Claire native placed 15th overall in the competition.
Nordic Combined is a mixture of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Loomis finished with a time of 26:54.3. He was 1:46.6 minutes off the top finisher, Vinzenz Geiger of Germany.
Loomis' time was the best out of the four Americans in the event. Jared Shumate placed 19, Taylor Fletcher placed 24, and Stephen Schumann placed 25.
Loomis isn't just a two-time Olympian, though. He is also one of a few American athletes who are also in the U.S. military. He is part of the army.
"It's extra special going into these representing the army and it brings a lot more pride in being able to represent Team USA and the US Army at the same time,"he said in an earlier interview with TMJ4.
