Sandra Volk / Courtesy photo
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – Last weekend Annika Malacinski of Steamboat Springs won the women’s Nordic combined competition at the Finnish National Championships. The victory was his most recent result in a string of successes in Europe this summer. She finished in the top 10 at three of the four Summer Grand Prix events.
Malacinski traveled to Europe in early August to compete in the Women’s Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix. She was at her second home in Rovaniemi, Finland for a few weeks before heading to Slovenia to meet with the head coach of the United States Women’s National Team, Tomas Matura.
“I jumped a lot, skied really hard,” said Malacinski. “I think all of my results came from really hard work and hard training. I think it’s finally paying off.
Malacinski was certainly surprised at how much the work paid off.
“We thought together that a top 15 would be something good to achieve,†said Malacinski. “And I remember doing a few of my first jumps at Oberhof, and I was in the top 10 easily, even with (provisional) jumps. It was super shocking. I was like waiting, ‘Are these results good?’ “
In the provisional round of the first Summer Grand Prix in Oberhof, Germany, she finished seventh. In the official round, she finished ninth. A few days later, in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, Malacinski proved that the top 10 was no accident. She took the seventh.
In the last two Grand Prix events in Villach, Austria, she has continued to perform well, placing seventh and 11th.
Annika Malacinski / Courtesy photo
“The training, she’s following the plan a little better than in the past,†said Matura. “She’s finally getting a little more basic because she’s still a bit new to the sport. It’s all together, small steps, but she’s improving a lot. It’s awesome.
Malacinski trained alone with Matura all summer.
Vermont’s Tara Geraghty-Moats switched from Nordic combined to biathlon after winning the inaugural Women’s Nordic Combined World Cup last year. Tess Arnone and Alexa Brabec, Malacinski teammates and fellow Steamboat Springs skiers, are still in high school and spent the summer training in the Yampa Valley with Karl Denney, their trainer at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
“I can focus on her and her needs. It’s special for her, â€said Matura. “But other times it’s a bit boring for her. He’s just an athlete, just two of us. She has to train most of the time alone. … It’s a challenge for everyone, but it looks like it works.
Flawia Karwczyk / Courtesy photo
To break up the one-on-one time, Matura and Malacinski spent time with the US men’s Nordic combined team.
“It was super tough without Tara,†said Malacinski. “I love her so much, and she was such an inspiration and such an amazing role model to train and ski with. Honestly, I think that’s the next best thing for me to train with the boys. They are all super awesome. They all have such positive energy. Basically I have a private coach right now so I’m really not complaining too much.
The success gives Malacinski a lot of confidence for the next World Cup season, just the second for the women’s Nordic combined. She will probably be the most successful American woman.
Between Geraghty-Moats’ transition to biathlon and top 10 results, Malacinski has firmly established himself as the face of the American women’s Nordic combined. She doesn’t look at him that way, however.
“I don’t think I thought that way at all,†she said. “I’m doing really well without putting too much pressure on myself and doing my best and having fun with it. I was really struggling with that last season, especially with the other girls competing and wanting to be there. best American behind Tara.
“Right now I’m really focusing on the mental side,†said Malacinski. “What I did worked wonderfully. Right now I’m trying to have fun in a sport that I love.
Bringing together the United States women’s team
Soon the entire US women’s Nordic combined team will be reunited. At 20, Malacinski has more time and opportunities to move abroad and train with the national team. Meanwhile, Arnone and Brabec completed Steamboat training with Denney this summer.
Arnone is enrolled again at Steamboat Springs High School after taking online classes in previous years. She will be graduating from high school in her hometown in December, which will allow her to focus on the Nordic combined season.
Brabec incorporated soccer into his training and the duo hiked and ran a lot with Denney.
“There’s this road going west as you pass through Phippsburg, and it’s our new favorite place for distance training as there is no traffic and we can roller-ski as we please. “said Denney.
Arnone and Brabec have yet to finalize their schedules but will certainly travel to Europe for the World Junior Championships and the World Cup event in Val di Fiemme, Italy, where there will be a Nordic combined event. masculine and feminine. They will also travel to Lake Placid in New York during the holidays in late December and early January to participate in a trial at the world junior championships.
“They’ve been on the rise for a while now,†Denney said. “And they’re so famous for that – sometimes it’s easy to forget they’re still high school.”
