Sauze d’Oulx, Italy – Jeremy Bloom wasn’t about to let the end of his skiing career – if this was indeed it – be marred by a slight bobble.
The celebrated Colorado skier wasn’t about to sulk after struggling with the landing of his second aerial in the men’s moguls, losing costly points and finishing sixth Wednesday at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
“It was a great day,” he said. “I can’t allow a small mistake to ruin that.”
Dale Begg-Smith of Australia won the gold, Mikko Ronkainen of Finland the silver and Toby Dawson of Vail took the bronze.
Bloom, favored to reach the podium in the days before the competition, came up short a second time. He finished ninth in this event at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.
“My biggest goal was to enjoy the Olympics,” he said. “In 2002, I was young and I was wrapped up in different aspects of, maybe, celebrity-ism.”
He was already a star in 2002, one of the top names on the moguls circuit and a highly touted football prospect that fall at the University of Colorado. His college career abruptly ended after the 2003 season when the NCAA declared him ineligible for accepting endorsement money to pay for his skiing.
He also had a model’s good looks that would lead to photos in GQ and other magazines.
“This time,” the graduate of Loveland High School said, “I wanted to enjoy it because it might be my last experience at the Olympics.”
Bloom said his other goal was to ski well, “and I came very close to accomplishing that.”
His run started well enough with a double-heli aerial. But then came a stutter in the second moguls section and that rough landing on a 720 off-axis jump near the bottom.
“It’s a judged sport,” he said. “I didn’t see how big the mistake was.”
If nothing else, the 23-year-old will be too busy to mope about his performance. He will fly to California on Friday to begin training for a shot at the NFL as a receiver. The league has invited him to participate in its combine.
