U.S. Nordic combined athlete Alexa Brabec completed her climb to the top of the podium, winning her first career World Cup gold to open the prestigious Seefeld Triple — the last World Cup event before the 2026 Olympics begin — on Friday, Jan. 30.

The Seefeld Triple, which occurs annually in Seefeld, Austria, is a unique stop on the World Cup circuit. Typically, each World Cup features two events. At the Seefeld Triple, athletes compete in three race formats: a mass start, a compact, and the traditional Gunderson, in that order. Point deficits from the mass start are factored into an athlete's jumping score during the compact on day two, and only the top athletes from the first two events qualify for the Gunderson on the final day of competition. The first athlete to cross the finish line on day three wins the overall Triple title. The Triple debuted in 2014, though the women's competition was added just last season.

Unlike the compact or Gunderson events, the mass start begins with a cross-country race rather than the ski jumping portion. Brabec, who entered the weekend as the World No. 2, skied into 3rd during the cross-country race behind Norwegians Ida Marie Hagen and Marte Leinan Lund. Brabec then jumped 99.5 meters (roughly 326.4 feet) — the third-best jump of the day — to secure her first World Cup gold with a combined total of 122.9 points. 

“Today was really cool to win with my parents at the event to cheer me on and see me win for the first time," Brabec told Nordic Combined USA (NCUSA) after the race. "It’s overwhelming, but feels really good.”

Slovenia's Ema Volavsek took 2nd for her first podium since 2022, and Hagen finished 3rd. It's the first time Hagen has finished outside the top two this season. Her eight wins in the nine events leading up to the Seefeld World Cup gave her a staggering 200-point lead over Brabec in the World Cup standings.

As part of a cooperation devised by the U.S. and Norwegian teams in 2022, Brabec and most of the other U.S. Nordic combined athletes train in Norway during the winter season.  The partnership has significantly increased the success of both the U.S. men's and women's squads.

“It's been a really good day and I'm super happy,” Hagen told the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. “It's so cool to have a teammate on top, and I've just been waiting for this one.

Brabec, 21, has placed 4th or higher in each of her 10 events so far this season, marking the best and most consistent performance by a U.S. man or woman since Tara Geraghty-Moats in 2021. At the season opener in Trondheim, Norway, Brabec became the first American to make a World Cup podium in five years. 

Teammate Annika Malacinski also posted a career-best result on the first day in Seefeld, landing in 6th. Her previous best finish in an individual World Cup event was 8th. Geraghty-Moats finished 11th. 

At the Otepaa World Cup three weeks earlier, Malacinski raced into the top 10 for the first time in nearly two years.

“We have worked so hard to get to this point. I am thrilled with my results today, and so glad to celebrate my personal best and Alexa’s win with all the women of Nordic Combined," Malacinski told NCUSA. "This is a huge statement for the U.S. women and the sport of Nordic Combined.”

Ben Loomis and Niklas Malacinski, who were named to the U.S. Olympic team Jan. 22, placed 22nd and 29th, respectively, in the men's mass start. 

Nordic combined is the only Olympic sport, winter or summer, that does not include a women's competition.

The Seefeld Triple continues on Jan. 31, with the individual compact/normal hill. Nordic combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics begins Feb. 11.