Alexa Brabec (born October 8, 2004) is an American skier who competes in Nordic combined. [1]
Alexa Brabec (born October 8, 2004) is an American skier who competes in Nordic combined. [1]
Brabec was born on October 8, 2004. She is from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. [1] She grew up skiing for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. [2]
Brabec was named to the first team of women to represent the United States in Nordic Combined at a World Championship event, [1]
In 2020, Brabec competed at the Youth Olympic Games, which was the first time women's Nordic Combined was included in the competition. [1] [3] [4]
Brabec was a member of the U.S. World Championship team in 2021 and 2023. [1]
In 2024, Brabec placed second overall in the HS102/5 km event at the Nordic Junior World Ski Championships, winning the first-ever medal in Women's Nordic Combined for the United States at the Junior World Championships. She also placed second over all in the Team Sprint HS102/2×4.5 event with Kai McKinnon, similarly winning the United States's first medal in a Women's Nordic Combined team event. [1]
As Nordic combined is the only Winter Olympic sport without a women's competition, Brabec's family, particularly her mother, who is a lawyer, advocates for gender equity in the sport. [2] [5]
Brabec is a student at the University of Utah. [2]
This is an incomplete list of Brabec's competitive history.
| Year | Competition | Event | Location | Rank | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Youth Olympics | Girls' Normal hill/4 km | Lausanne, Switzerland | 14 | [4] |
| 2020 | Youth Olympics | cross country | Lausanne, Switzerland | 15 | [4] |
| 2020 | Youth Olympics | mixed team | Lausanne, Switzerland | 11 | |
| 2021 | FIS Nordic World Ski Championships | ski jumping | Oberstdorf, Germany | 27 | [6] |
| 2021 | FIS Nordic World Ski Championships | cross country | Oberstdorf, Germany | 26 | [6] |
| 2021/22 | World Cup | Hs106/5 km | Val di Fiemme, Italy | 20 | [1] |
| 2022/23 | Continental Cup | HS109/7.5 km | Rena, Norway | 6 | [1] |
| 2023 | FIS Nordic World Ski Championships | ski jumping | Planica, Slovenia | 31 | [7] |
| 2023 | FIS Nordic World Ski Championships | cross country | Planica, Slovenia | 28 | [7] |
| 2024 | Nordic Junior World Ski Championships | HS102/5 km | 2 | [1] |
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first Winter Olympics in 1924, while the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup has been held since 1983. Many Nordic combined competitions use the Gundersen method, where placement in the ski jumping segment results in time (dis)advantages added to the contestant's total in the cross-country skiing segment.
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final score. Ski jumping was first contested in Norway in the late 19th century, and later spread through Europe and North America in the early 20th century. Along with cross-country skiing, it constitutes the traditional group of Nordic skiing disciplines.
Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The population was 13,224 at the 2020 census. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Steamboat Springs Micropolitan Statistical Area, and it is the largest city in northwestern Colorado.
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial Nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship events include Nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. From 1924 to 1939, the World Championships were held every year, including the Winter Olympics. After World War II, the World Championships were held every four years from 1950 to 1982. Since 1985, the World Championships have been held in odd-numbered years.
Skijoring is a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog, another animal, or a motor vehicle. The name is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring, meaning "ski driving". Although skijoring is said to have originated as a mode of winter travel, it is currently primarily a competitive sport.
The U.S. Ski Team, operating under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and association have been headquartered in Park City, Utah.
Karl Frithjof Hovelsen was a Norwegian Nordic skier. Howelsen Hill Ski Area in Steamboat Springs, Colorado was named in his honor.
Johnny Spillane is an American athlete who competes in Nordic combined, a combination event consisting of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Spillane is a world champion and three-time Olympic silver medalist. He announced his retirement from Nordic combined on April 18, 2013.
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2001 took place February 15–25, 2001 in Lahti, Finland for a record sixth time, previous events being held in 1926, 1938, 1958, 1978 and 1989. These championships also saw the most event changes since the 1950s with the 5 km women and 10 km men's events being discontinued, the 10 km women and 15 km men's events return to their normal status for the first time since the 1991 championships, the debut of a combined pursuit as a separate category, the addition of the individual sprint race for both genders, and the debut of the ski jumping team normal hill event. Extremely cold weather cancelled the women's 30 km event. The biggest controversy occurred when a doping scandal hit the host nation of Finland, resulting in six disqualifications. This would serve as a prelude to further doping cases in cross country skiing at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City the following year.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard, formerly known as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, is the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1905, the organization provides leadership and direction for skiers and snowboarders from over 400 member clubs. The association is headquartered in Park City, Utah.
Todd Lodwick is an American Nordic combined skier. He competed at the 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 Olympics and won a team silver medal in 2010. His best individual result was fourth place in 2010, when he finished 0.7 seconds behind the third place in the individual normal hill/10 km event. At the world championships he won two individual gold medals in 2009.
Alvin Paul Wegeman was an American nordic combined skier. While on leave from the U.S. Navy, he competed in the Nordic combined event at the 1952 Winter Olympics, but fell on his third jump did not finish, and was hospitalized with a concussion. Wegeman also competed for the U.S. at the 1950 World Championships in Lake Placid, New York.
Taylor Fletcher is an American Nordic combined skier who has competed since 2006 and ski jumper since 2010. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he finished 11th in the team large hill ski jumping event and 45th in the Nordic combined 10 km individual large hill event.
The FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships is an annual nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The Junior World Championships was started in 1977 and was first hosted in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland. The Junior World Championship events include Nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined.
Gyda Westvold Hansen is a Norwegian Nordic combined skier who represents IL Nansen. She became the first ever World Champion in women's Nordic combined after winning the gold medal in the inaugural World Championship race, individual normal hill/5 km, at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2021. She is the 2021 World Junior Champion in individual normal hill and won the silver medal at the same event in 2019 and 2020. Westvold Hansen was also a member of the Norwegian team that took the gold medal in the mixed team normal hill competition at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
Dmytro Mazurchuk is a Ukrainian Nordic combined skier and former ski jumper. He competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He is bronze medallist of the 2023 Winter World University Games.
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