Taylor Fletcher is not only hoping the third time is the charm, he’s hoping his older brother Bryan adds a little extra dose of luck as well.
On Thursday, two-time Olympian Taylor Fletcher, 2016 Youth Olympian Ben Loomis, Jasper Good and Ben Berend were added to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team primarily based on Continental Cup results to compete at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
Bryan Fletcher, a 2014 Olympian and childhood cancer survivor, had already qualified by winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Now, he and Taylor will compete side-by-side for the second straight Olympic Winter Games.
Taylor and Bryan Fletcher won bronze medals as part of the team event on the normal hill/4x5-kilometer at the 2013 world championships.
Taylor, 27, is four years younger than Bryan, and is considered one of the fastest skiers in Nordic combined, which helped him make the U.S. Olympic Team in 2010 and 2014.
Taylor is a four-time qualifier for the world championships.
Loomis, 19, is coming off his first world championships appearance, helping Team USA finish eighth in the team event. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native moved to Park City, Utah to have more intense training.
Loomis won a silver medal at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, and took a big step when he finished ninth in the normal hill/5K event at the 2017 Nordic Junior World Ski Championships. His older brother Adam, 25, was also a contender for the Olympic team.
Good, 21, grew up with ski jumps within the view from his house in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and made the national team in 2015. He’s made eight world cup starts.
Berend, 22, is another Steamboat Springs native who took third at the 2016 national championships. He qualified for last year’s world championships and was another member of the team that took eighth in the normal hill/4x5K event.
Gary R. Blockus is a journalist from Allentown, Pennsylvania who has covered multiple Olympic Games. He is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
