The 25-year-old Nordic combined racer delivered a perfect performance in Oslo to cap off a breakthrough season. Madshus skier Bryan Fletcher (USA) won the large hill Gundersen competition in Oslo, in front of a large crowd and perfect sunshine. The Oslo World Cup marked the final event in the 2011-12 Nordic Combined season.
“This is a dream come true. To win in Holmenkollen is every nordic combined athlete’s dream,” Fletcher says after the race.
“To have it be my first makes it even better. After having such a great season and for this to be the stamp to it is amazing. Just going into today I was thinking that the only goal I didn’t accomplish this season was a podium. I spoke too soon! This is unbelievable.”
Fletcher’s dream come true has grown out of a lifelong love for the sport and passion for the outdoors.
“Nordic Combined is my world,” Fletcher says and explains: “As a kid, it started as a hobby. However, when you decide to do your hobby for a living, that’s where it consumes your life. I am not sure how life would be without it. I spend almost every waking day thinking about the sport and almost every aspect of it and how it relates to me.”
Cancer as a strength
But Fletcher’s journey to the top has been tougher than most, starting with childhood leukemia at age four. He battled the cancer for six years. That gave him a mature perspective on life at an early age.
“My battle with cancer taught me a lot of things about all aspects of life whether I am aware of them or not,” Fletcher says, and adds that people often ask what the challenge has taught him.
“Every time I have a different answer. Most importantly, I think it taught me not to sweat the challenges. It taught me to always keep fight and continue to work. Things can always progress further than you think. Even when things are at there lowest there is always a step to take to start the journey back to the top. It also teaches you to enjoy the ride, both the challenges and successes, along the way. The small victories can be just as sentimental and rewarding to you as the big victories, because that’s the story behind the medal, the reason that makes it so personal to every athlete,” Fletcher says.
But despite all the challenges the cancer has caused and the occasional setbacks, Fletcher never stopped chasing his dream.
“I don’t think I have ever put my dreams on hold. I think every step I have taken along the way has been a lesson or an opportunity to learn and advance towards the goal. Whether you know it or not, it’s all a part of the path to success. Each failure is a lesson on how to do it right, and each time you do it the correct way teaches you how diverse the process can be. Cancer was just the beginning for me, it was just the basework I had to do in order to get my career rolling,” Fletcher says.
The perfect race
Fletchers first World Cup victory was a nearly perfect race. Perfect conditions, perfect execution.
Fletcher hit the course in third position, and soon led a large chase group of skiers on the course aiming to gap the bridge to Kato Taihei (Japan), who was ahead after the jumping. But nobody could match Fletcher’s speed on the course.
This was Fletcher’s first World Cup victory, and one of several top 10 World Cup performances this season. Last season, his goal was to establish himself among the top 30. This season, the promising athlete from Steamboat Springs has taken a solid step further.