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Bring on Olympics number four

Fletcher wins U.S. Nordic combined Olympic Team Trials

Taylor Fletcher, pictured here, is emotional after winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Nordic combined Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

LAKE PLACID — With the prestigious “golden ticket” to the 2022 Winter Olympics on the line, it was the oldest competitor who came away with the top prize.

Taylor Fletcher, 31, earned a guaranteed spot on the U.S. Nordic combined Olympic team — his fourth appearance at the games — after winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Nordic combined Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg.

For Fletcher, the win was anything but easy.

In a sport that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, Fletcher did not have the best jump in the competition and was forced to make up 56 seconds in the cross-country ski race to win the event.

Fletcher’s 89-meter jump on the HS-100 (normal hill) earned him fourth place with 111.5 points.

From left, Ben Loomis, Taylor Fletcher and Jared Shumate stand on podium of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Nordic combined Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

“It wasn’t my best jump. The timing was a little bit late,” Fletcher said. “Definitely able to do a little bit more, but it’s all about minimizing your losses.”

Ahead of Fletcher, after the ski jumping competition, was Ben Loomis in first place with 125.5 points, Jasper Good in second with 117 points and Jared Shumate in third with 116.5.

Loomis had, by far, the longest jump in the event. With a 95-meter jump, he was rewarded with a 34-second lead in the 10-kilometer cross-country ski race over the second-place finisher in the ski jumping competition. He also held a 56-second lead over Fletcher.

Starting nearly a minute after Loomis, Fletcher was forced to make up serious ground early in the four-lap race.

“I didn’t think I really had it in me after the jumping run. A minute on Ben is a tough task. He’s skied well all year,” Fletcher said. “I really had to push it from the beginning. I couldn’t leave anything out there.”

After two laps, Fletcher had already passed Shumate and Good, who started around 20 seconds before him.

“I started to claw back time pretty consistently and he (Loomis) came in sight. Once I had him in sight I knew that it was a good chance to come away with that victory,” Fletcher said.

Toward the end of the third lap, Fletcher had caught up to Loomis. With the lead, Fletcher never looked back and held on to clinch a place on his fourth Olympic team.

“It really came down to that last hill, and I had to give it everything I possibly could in order to make it there. It’s awesome. It’s nice to walk away and be qualified for my fourth Olympics and come away with a little bit of Christmas money.”

Fletcher finished the cross-country race in 23 minutes and 18 seconds. Loomis took second place overall after finishing the ski race at 24:26.3 — the fourth-fastest time. Shumate finished in third place at 24:22.7.

Even with the win, Fletcher said he still has to improve before February’s games in Beijing, China.

“I still have a lot of work to do on the jump hill but the cross-country is getting better and better with every week. It’s going toward a good place for Beijing,” Fletcher said.

While the U.S. could potentially have five men qualify for the Olympics, Fletcher is the only one guaranteed for the Olympics.

“It’s a dream come true. It always is,” Fletcher said. “Making the Olympic teams is something that I have looked forward to as a kid. Whether it’s my first or my fourth, that feeling doesn’t go away. I’m still a little bit in shock.”

The full roster for the Olympic team is expected to be announced in late January.

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