Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Thursday, February 19, 2026 6:20 p.m. / Updated Thursday, February 19, 2026 7:38 p.m.
American Benjamin Loomis (27) narrowly avoided a serious injury during the Nordic combined, the team sprint event at the Milan – Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. During the jump, he touched a snowblower on the springboard, but he had a great chance, he did not lose his balance and landed safely 116 meters.
The race was held in heavy snow, which is why there were also organizers on the springboard who were constantly removing fresh snow from the launch track. But before Loomis' jump, one of the organizers forgot to remove the cutter from the course in time, a moment that generated emotions for the US star.
“Luckily it only hit me in the shoulder. If it had been in the front it would have been a completely different story”said Loomis, quoted by sport.aktuality.sk.
VIDEO of the moment when Benjamin Loomis was at risk of being seriously injured
A scary near miss on the way down 😳
Ben Loomis narrowly avoids a snow blower during the Nordic combined on the jump 🎿 pic.twitter.com/CIoFykwFR2
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) February 19, 2026
Race director Lasse Ottessen was sorry for the incident and reacted with regret at the finish. “It was a day full of extremes. The workers on the trampoline did an excellent job, so we are sorry that this accident happened. The person involved and we at FIS have already apologized to the US representatives,” he said.
The story of Loomis, now in his third Olympic Games, is no ordinary one. He grew up ski jumping and started competing at a young age, but in 2019 he joined the US Army along with fellow Nordic skier Jasper Good.
He is one of four Guardsmen competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics. “Being a sportsman and being a soldier go hand in hand,” Loomis said, as quoted by tntsports.co.uk.
“What I learned in the military helped me in my sports career, and my sports experience helped me as a soldier. I want to stay in the Guard after my sports career, maybe even for a full career. The reasons I joined and why I want to stay are completely different now,” Loomis added.
Loomis won a silver medal at the 2016 Youth Olympics, a performance that earned him the title of US Ski and Snowboard Association Nordic Athlete of the Year, and now he's aiming for his first medal at the senior level at the Milan-Cortina Games.
