Steamboat Springs – Colorado’s Jeremy Bloom ended what little suspense was left about his Olympic plans today, securing his trip to Turin with the best run of the day at freestyle skiing Olympic trials.
“Now, I don’t have to say ‘if’ anymore,” Bloom, of Loveland, said after scoring 27.82 points in the moguls finals to beat out Travis Mayer for first place, the only spot that mattered at this event.
Hannah Kearney, already pretty much assured a spot thanks to a win in the World Cup earlier this season, won on the women’s side to erase any doubt.
First-place finishers in moguls and aerials, which were scheduled for later Friday, earned automatic spots on the 14-person freestyle team.
There are many other ways these skiers to make the Olympics and it was pretty much a given Bloom would be heading to Italy. Still, he conceded it was something of a relief to get this done.
“Things came together today, which is a great feeling,” Bloom said. “It’s nice to check that box.”
Now, Bloom knows what’s in store for February: Freestyle skiing on the 15th, followed by a quick trip back to the United States and a shot at the NFL scouting combine. The speedy receiver was on his way to stardom at Colorado before NCAA rules forbidding him to take sponsorship money forced him to choose between college football and skiing.
He chose skiing and at this point, it’s looking like the right choice.
He set a record last year by winning six straight times on the World Cup circuit, a record and a seemingly impossible feat considering the pratfalls that stand in front of skiers in this, one of the ficklest sports around.
He will be considered a favorite at the Olympics, even though he finished ninth when he competed in 2002.
“He’s become a lot better skier over the last four years,” U.S. coach Jeff Wintersteen said.
