Taylor Fletcher had a strong start to the Summer Grand Prix series over the weekend, finishing 11th in the first individual event of the summer.
Fletcher started the day solid on the hill, jumping to 33rd position in the single round of competition on the K95. Content with his jump, but not with his bib, Fletcher set out in the cross country race with a single focus: climbing up the results page.
After setting a blistering pace and turning in the second fastest time of the day, Fletcher crossed the finish line in 11th place. The race capped a strong performance by the veteran, whose focus throughout the Grand Prix series will be “building momentum.”
“This weekend was a good step forward,” said Fletcher, who added that he was “excited to continue to build.”
Austrian skier Mario Seidel took home the first individual title of the summer series. Seidel had a competitive jump of 106 meters, sending him out in first place. A smart race by the Austrian allowed him to finish the day unchallenged at the top of the podium.
Second and third place were claimed by Germans Eric Frenzel and Fabian Riessle, respectively. The podium finishes were the second of the weekend for the two German skiers, who had finished second place a day earlier in the 2×7.5km team event that was held in Oberwiesenthal on Saturday.
Other American finishers included Bryan Fletcher in 20th, Ben Berend in 33rd, and Jasper Good in 34th place.
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(Photo Credit: Romina Eggert)
A day earlier, the US had fielded two teams in the team event. US Team I, consisting of brothers Bryan and Taylor Fletcher was 12th overall. US Team II, consisting of Ben Berend and Jasper Good were 14th for the day.
The event was won by teammates Miroslav Dvorak and Tomas Portyk, the top team representing the Czech Republic. Second place was claimed by the German team of Frenzel and Reissle, while third was claimed by another German team made up of Jakob Lange and Vinzenz Geiger.
The next stop on the Summer Grand Prix tour will be another 10k Individual Gunderson this Wednesday, August 23, in Tschagguns, Germany.
Official Results:
