American Nordic combined athlete Ben Loomis encountered an unusual obstacle during Thursday's Olympic team sprint when he was hit by a leaf blower as he launched from the ski jump start bar. The bizarre incident occurred after an official failed to clear the equipment in time.
Leaf blowers are routinely used during ski jumping competitions to remove loose snow from the in-run, with officials stationed along the track to operate them between jumps. The machine struck Loomis on the shoulder, scuffing his uniform but causing no pain. 'Unfortunately one of them was a little bit too late pulling theirs out of the way, but they're human and things can happen,' Loomis told Reuters.
Despite being offered a chance to redo his jump, Loomis declined, citing worsening snow conditions that could have slowed his in-run. 'I was still pretty happy with the jump and had the opportunity to take a second jump, but decided that conditions were probably getting worse and it kind of mentally was my competition jump, so I was happy with it,' he explained. Alongside teammate Niklas Malacinski, Loomis went on to secure a seventh-place finish.
This year's Games have seen other unusual disruptions. On Wednesday, a dog gatecrashed the women's team sprint cross-country race, wandering onto the stadium course and momentarily distracting competitors. The canine, initially thought to be a husky but actually a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, raced across the finish line behind the athletes to cheers from the crowd.
