Fletcher Embracing Last Shot At Olympics In Nordic Combined
Feb 8, 2022, 10:15 AM
LAKE PLACID, NY - DECEMBER 24: Taylor Fletcher of the United States looks on during the competition jump in the Nordic Combined competition at the U.S. Nordic Combined & Ski Jump Olympic Trials on December 24, 2021 in Lake Placid, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Taylor Fletcher almost ended his Nordic combined career shortly after his third trip to the Olympics in 2018.
Fletcher’s father died of Lou Gehrig’s disease, his stepfather had a near-death experience in a bike accident and he broke up with a longtime girlfriend.
Meet the Olympic Nordic Combined team from @usanordic 🇺🇸 See you in Beijing, #JasperGood, #TaylorFletcher, #BenLoomis, #StephenSchuman and #JaredShumate 💪 #fisnoco #nordiccombined pic.twitter.com/rYZejaB4nl
— FIS Nordic Combined (@fisnoco) February 8, 2022
Fletcher bounced back mentally and kept himself physically in condition to earn another appearance on the world’s stage at the Beijing Games.
The American’s potential path to the podium has been cleared a little because four of the top seven Nordic combined athletes recently tested positive for COVID-19.
The first of three Nordic combined medal events begins Wednesday.
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