January 25, 2018 – Olympic Trials winner Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will lead a team of five nordic combined skiers in PyeongChang. U.S. Ski & Snowboard today (Jan. 25) announced its selections for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team that will compete at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 beginning February 9. The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday (January 26).

Fletcher, a childhood cancer survivor who won his sport’s prestigious King’s Cup in 2011, earned his second Olympic Team spot as winner of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Dec. 30. The remainder of the team qualified through World Cup and Continental Cup results.

“We are very happy we will have a full team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games,” said Nordic Combined Coach Martin Bayer. “It’s a relatively young team with great chemistry between them and a group of highly motivated athletes.”

The opening is set for February 13 with two individual events and a team event on the Games program.

NBCUniversal will present more than 2,400 hours of coverage across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com, and the NBC Sports app – the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

TEAM FACTS

Olympic Trials winner Bryan Fletcher is a childhood cancer survivor. As a young boy, ski jumping on Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill was a vital distraction as he underwent treatment. 2018 is his second Olympics.

Brother Taylor Fletcher, who is known as one of his sport’s best cross country skiers, will be making his third Games appearance.

Four of the team members came out of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, with Ben Loomis from the Flying Eagles Ski Club in Eau Claire, Wis.

Ben Loomis was a silver medalist in the Youth Olympic Games in 2016 at Lillehammer, Norway.

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC NORDIC COMBINED TEAM
Ben Berend, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (6/29/1995)
Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (6/27/1986) *
Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (5/11/1990) *
Jasper Good, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (5/10/1996)
Ben Loomis, Eau Claire, Wis. (6/09/1998)

* Competed in past Olympics

Staff
Martin Bayer, Head nordic combined coach

QUOTES

Martin Bayer
We are very happy we will have a full team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. It’s a relatively young team with great chemistry between them and a group of highly motivated athletes. Bryan Fletcher is the oldest and brings the most experience on the international stage. It’s Taylor Fletcher’s third Olympics and he’s known as one of the fastest cross country skiers in nordic combined. Ben Loomis is the youngest with strength coming from the ski jumping side but I’m sure he’ll sure he’ll surprise us in cross country. It’s also the first Olympics for Jasper Good who has been one of our most consistent athletes and has a great attitude that will serve him well.

Taylor Fletcher
It is always a great honor to be representing my country and team at the sports highest level and I am very excited to be representing my country in my third Olympics. It wasn’t an easy road to get to the Olympics this year as I have had some struggles with jumping and have had some bad luck that made it challenging until the last weekend of qualifying. I would like to think I got that out of the way and I can focus now on performing at my highest level during the Games. The Olympics bring out the best from each athlete and no one will have it easy. That being said, with a good jump I feel like it is possible to have a chance at the medals. I am also really excited to be sharing this moment with my brother who will be competing in his second games. It is very unique that we get to share this moment together and fight for the medals together. Our entire team is looking forward to Korea and I am proud of each one of my teammates for their hard work and dedication to the sport!

Ben Loomis
I am extremely honored to be heading to PyeongChang and representing our country. The Olympics are something I have always dreamed of and to go at such a young age is extremely exciting. For me, the Olympics will be all about the experience. I am hoping to take it all in and use this experience in future. I look forward to sharing my first Olympic experience with Jasper Good as well as veterans Bryan and Taylor Fletcher.