US ski jumper Ben Loomis avoids Olympic mishap after being struck by leaf blower on mountain

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United States ski jumper Ben Loomis luckily avoided what could’ve been a disaster at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Thursday after being struck by a leaf blower on his attempted jump. 

Loomis was a part of the Nordic combined team sprint on Thursday, where he was going down the track to attempt his big jump when he was struck by one of the leaf blowers on the side of the track. 

Workers at the Olympics are stationed alongside the track to blow off excess snow, ensuring that the participants have a clean jump where they are also not slowed down. The weather conditions have also required numerous leaf blowers to make sure the track is clear. 

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Benjamin Loomis of Team United States reacts during the Ski Jumping Competition Round of Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km on day eleven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium on Feb. 17, 2026, in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Tom Weller/Getty Images)

However, one of the leaf blowers wasn’t paying attention as Loomis was coming down, and the 27-year-old American collided with it. 

"I’ve never experienced anything like this," Loomis said to NRK. "Fortunately, it happened at the top, so I just tried to convince myself to make a good jump."

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Loomis added, "If it had hit me in the face, it would have been a completely different story."

Loomis was able to get a 116-meter jump on that attempt despite the obstacle at the top of the track. 

Benjamin Loomis of