Ben Loomis Avoids Close Call at Milan-Cortina Games

American ski jumper Ben Loomis came dangerously close to disaster on Thursday during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, narrowly avoiding being struck by a leaf blower while preparing for a jump.

As Loomis was competing in the Nordic Combined Team Sprint, he was speeding down the course, intent on making a significant jump. Unfortunately, he collided with a leaf blower that had been carelessly left at the side of the track. It’s supposed to be a smooth operation—workers are positioned near the track to clear away snow, ensuring everything is safe and fast. But on this occasion, things went awry.

One of the leaf blowers seemed to miss Loomis, and, as a result, the 27-year-old American had an unexpected encounter. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he said afterward. “Fortunately, it happened at the top, so I just tried to convince myself to make a good jump.” He added that if it had hit him in the face, the outcome could have been far more serious.

Despite the chaos at the start of his jump, Loomis successfully completed a 116-meter flight. Interestingly, he received an apology from Olympic officials for the incident but expressed that he wasn’t keen to repeat such a jump.

“I’m glad nothing more happened, but it shouldn’t have happened,” competition director Lasse Ottesen commented, noting that the person responsible had apologized to the event’s jury. Loomis and his teammate, Niklas Malacinski, ultimately finished in seventh place, missing out on a medal.

In the end, Norway claimed gold in the event, while Finland and Austria walked away with silver and bronze respectively. Meanwhile, the United States celebrates a total of 26 medals at these games, including a thrilling gold for the women’s ice hockey team after a nail-biting overtime win against Canada. As the closing ceremony approaches on Sunday, the U.S. holds eight gold medals in total, tying for second place with Italy, while Norway is currently in the lead with 34 medals.