Topic: Todd Lodwick

Todd Lodwick (born November 21, 1976 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado) is an American nordic combined skier and by several measures the most successful North American in this sport ever. In 2009 he became world champion in Nordic combined.

During his international career between 1993 and 2006 he participated in four Winter Olympics and 143 World Cup events. His greatest successes have been 6 World Cup wins—including the 7.5 km sprint event at the 1998 Holmenkollen ski festival, where he was only the third American to win a medal of any color at this prestigious event—and the gold medal at the 1996 Junior World Championships in Asiago, Italy. He finished in Top Ten of the World Cup overall standings eight consecutive years with a fourth place being his best result in the seasons 1997/98, 1999/2000 and 2004/05. Furthermore, Lodwick won 18 US-championships in nordic skiing: 10 in Nordic combined and 8 in ski jumping. Despite competing on such a high level over a long period, he never won a medal at a major event, although in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City he came very close, finishing fourth in the 4 x 5 km team event and fifth in the 7.5 km sprint event.

He retired in 2006, but returned to competition in 2008, setting his sights on making the team for the 2010 Olympics. In February 2009 at the World Championships in Liberec, he won two gold medals in Nordic combined, earning them in the 10 km individual normal hill and the 10 km mass start events. It was announced on Janaury 2010 that Lodwick made the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also came in 4th in the Nordic Combined 10km Cross Country on January 14th, 2010, 0.7 seconds behind the third place skier.