US EditionNordic combined-American jumper Loomis hit by leaf blower
- Ben Loomis was struck on the shoulder by a leaf blower during his jump at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games but avoided injury and completed a 116-meter jump.
- The leaf blower was being used by officials to clear snow from the track, but a delay in moving the equipment caused the collision.
- Loomis declined an offer to redo his jump, citing worsening snow conditions and satisfaction with his initial attempt despite the incident.
- Loomis and teammate Niklas Malacinski finished seventh in the team sprint event; Norway won gold, Finland silver, and Austria bronze.
22 Articles
22 Articles
American Ski Jumper Collides With Leaf Blower While Barreling Down Ramp At Winter Olympics
American ski jumper Ben Loomis at Winter Olympics An army of workers wielding leaf blowers has been employed to keep the track clean for ski jumpers at the Winter Olympics. It’s been a pretty effective strategy, but it also managed to cause a slight issue when an American competitor was struck by one during a run while competing. Ski jumping is one of the more complex sports that the Winter Olympics has to offer. It might seem fairly straightfor…
Team USA Star Escapes Nightmare Accident at Milan Winter Olympics
Organizers at the 2026 Winter Olympics have gone to great lengths to ensure athlete safety, from postponing events during sudden weather shifts to conducting constant course checks. Yet on Thursday, those precautions were put to the test when American Nordic combined skier Ben Loomis narrowly avoided a bizarre mishap during the team sprint. A video from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games quickly went viral after American skier Ben Loomis struck a leaf…
US ski jumper Ben Loomis narrowly avoids leaf blower disaster at Olympics
Competing in the Nordic combined team sprint at the 2026 Winter Games, American ski jumper Ben Loomis was struck by a leaf blower as he was hurtling down the track to begin his jump and managed to evade serious injury.
Nordic combined skier Ben Loomis had a close encounter with a snow blower before his jump in the doubles team event. As the American was descending after the run, a worker at the ski jump was still clearing the newly fallen snow from the slope and failed to pull the blower away in time. The incident ended happily, as Loomis made a good jump and did not want to repeat it.
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