PARK CITY, Utah — The U.S. women’s Junior Nordic combined team competed in the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships on Saturday in Planica, Slovenia. The duo of Alexa Brabec and Kai McKinnon finished second overall, bringing home the first-ever medal in a women’s Nordic combined team event at Junior Worlds for the United States.

On the hill, McKinnon, of Lake Placid, started things off in the team sprint HS102/24.5-kilometer event =with an 84.0 meter jump for 89.1 points. Brabec then put together an 89.5 meter jump for 107.4 points (196.5 total points), securing the fifth position for the 2/4.5K sprint, starting 0:29 back of first place.

During the 2/4.5K, Brabec and McKinnon were able to move into third place after 0.7K, and then moved into second place after 3K. The duo moved into first overall after 4.5K, and battled with Japan for the gold medal. Brabec and McKinnon were neck and neck with Japan until the final stretch after 8.2K, crossing the finish line at 9K 0.7 behind Japan.

“Wow, what an amazing day for Alexa and Kai,” said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “This team has really exceeded our expectations at Junior World Championships, and I couldn’t be more proud. A huge shoutout to our coaches, Michael and Garrett for their hard work, and the Norwegian team for their amazing support.”