A member of Team USA dodged a massive bullet Thursday.
Competing in the Nordic combined team sprint at the 2026 Winter Games, American ski jumper Ben Loomis was struck by a leaf blower as he was hurtling down the track to begin his jump and managed to evade serious injury.
Despite the shock collision with his shoulder, Loomis, 27, was able to land without issue.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Loomis told NRK. “Fortunately, it happened at the top, so I just tried to convince myself to make a good jump.
“… If it had hit me in the face, it would have been a completely different story.”
Due to severe weather conditions at the Milano Cortina Games, officials were armed with leaf blowers to clear snow off the tracks before each jump.
Even with the obstacle in his way, Loomis still managed to hit 116 meters on his jump.
Loomis received an apology from officials, according to the Daily Mail, but opted not to retake the jump.
He and teammate Niklas Malacinski finished seventh, with competition director Lasse Ottesen later commenting on the “regrettable” event.
“It was good that nothing more happened, but it should not happen,” Ottesen said. “The person has apologized to the jury and [International Ski and Snowboard Federation] apologizes to the USA.”
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
Norway took gold in the event, with Finland and Austria rounding out the podium with silver and bronze, respectively.
Loomis won the silver medal in the Nordic combined at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
Norway leads the total medal count at this year’s Olympics with 34, followed by Italy with 26 and the U.S. with 25.
The closing ceremonies are set for Sunday.