2x Olympian Kevin Bickner returns to Ski Flying World Championships

USA record-holder, Park City's Kevin Bickner jumps back into the ski flying world championships. Photo: Bickner family

PARK CITY, Utah — Two-time Olympian Kevin Bickner of Park City will join four other USA Nordic athletes representing the U.S. Ski Jumping Team at the 2024 FIS Ski Flying World Championships in Kulm Bad Mitterndorf/Tauplitz, Austria, Jan. 25-28.

These four national team athletes will team up with ski jumping veteran, Kevin Bickner. Bickner represented the United States at the 2018 FIS Ski Flying World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, placing 24th overall in the HS235 World Championship. Bickner is the current national record holder for ski flying, jumping to 244.5 meters in 2017 during the HS225 World Cup in Vikersund, Norway.

Ski Flying hills can be approximately 100 meters farther than Olympic-sized hills. By comparison, the Utah Olympic Park’s jump is an HS (hill size) 134.

This year’s FIS Ski Flying World Championships team features four U.S. Ski Jumping Team men’s athletes. This will be the second Ski Flying World Championships for Decker Dean, after competing in Planica, Slovenia, in 2020. Andrew Urlaub, Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz have earned their first-ever Ski Flying World Championships team nominations.

Belshaw currently has the highest world ranking out of all United States ski jumping athletes, ranked 47th, scoring World Cup points once this season after finishing 24th in the HS142 event in Ruka, Finland. Urlaub and Frantz have scored World Cup points one time each this season, with Urlaub 27th in the HS98 event in Lillehammer, Norway and Frantz 30th in the HS142 event in Ruka.

“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming Ski Flying World Championships in Kulm. Our juniors, Tate and Erik, have shown some really high level jumps the past several weeks, and last weekend they showed those jumps at the World Cup events in Wisla,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director and three-time Olympian from Park City Anders Johnson in a statement. “Additionally, Kevin Bickner has continued to work his way back into good shape after taking a long break after Beijing. Kevin is the U.S. record holder, so he certainly knows how to fly.”

“There is nothing more exhilarating than the Ski Flying World Championships,” said Adam Provost, CEO of USA Nordic. “I know the team is excited about the opportunity and I’m excited to watch them compete against the best in the world.”

(Name, hometown, ski club, birthdate, past World Championship teams)
*Denotes first World Championships team

• Andrew Urlaub* (Eau Claire, WI; Flying Eagles Ski Club; 4/12/2001)
• Decker Dean (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/8/2000; 2020)
• Erik Belshaw* (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/23/2004)
• Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL; Norge Ski Club; 9/23/96; 2018)
• Tate Frantz* (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Educational Foundation; 3/28/2005)