ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) 鈥� Taylor Fletcher almost ended his Nordic combined career shortly after his third trip to the Olympics in 2018.
Fletcher's father died of Lou Gehrig鈥檚 disease, his stepfather had a near-death experience in a bike accident and he broke up with a longtime girlfriend.
鈥淚t was a very difficult time for me," he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淚 was thinking about retiring."
Fletcher, though, bounced back mentally and kept himself physically in condition to earn another appearance on the world's stage at the Beijing Games.
鈥淜nowing that this is most likely going to be my last Olympics, it's crazy to look back on the journey I've had from the first Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver up until now," the 31-year-old said Monday after a training session. 鈥淓verything鈥檚 kind of felt like it鈥檚 come full circle. When I became part of that team in 2010, I was the youngest. Now 12 years later, I鈥檓 the oldest guy on the team and this is my fourth appearance.
鈥淪uper thankful for pretty much everybody that has supported me along the way for my Olympic journey, and ready to give it my best."
Fletcher said one of those people is , who has helped him with his mental health. He also has found ways to find peace in solitude.
鈥淚鈥檒l lean on meditation," he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge part for me. It鈥檚 something I do three, four, five times a week pre-competition to quiet down my mind. I鈥檝e been working with a sports psychologist, who has been helping me work through issues in personal life."
When the first of three Nordic combined medal events begin Wednesday on the normal hill, Fletcher's potential path to the podium has been cleared a little. Four of the top seven athletes, including , recently tested positive for COVID-19.
鈥淭hose top guys are strong, strong jumpers,鈥� Fletcher said. 鈥淩iiber has been one of the top jumpers. As much as we wish they were in the competition, we鈥檝e done our due diligence and taken every precaution to make sure that hasn鈥檛 happened."
Riiber and the other three Nordic combined stars may be able to participate on the large hill on Feb. 15 and in the team competition on Feb. 17.
Nordic combined, which has been part of the Winter Olympics since the first one in 1924, is popular in Europe and a foreign concept for most Americans. It is also the as women have been shut out so far.
The first phase of the competition is ski jumping. The athlete who jumps the farthest and impresses the judges the most style to earn the most points starts the 10K cross-country race with a lead.
The rest of the pack follows, in order of the finish in ski jumping.
Fletcher is No. 41 in World Cup rankings in a sport that increasingly has become filled with excellent ski jumpers, which is not his forte. Cross-country skiing, though, is a strength. At the previous three Olympics, he placed as high as 20th.
鈥淭aylor is an animal when it comes to cross-country skiing," American teammate Jasper Good said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the fastest in the world.鈥�
Fletcher's former teammate, Billy Demong, also was excellent on skis and that allowed him to go from sixth place and 46 seconds back to first to win gold at the 2010 Olympics.
Now, Demong leads the organization that helps to develop Nordic combined athletes and ski jumpers from to Olympians.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud to have been multiple things at different times in Taylor Fletcher鈥檚 career," Demong said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been his mentor, his roommate and his coaches' boss. He鈥檚 touched success on many occasions and on the eve of one of his final Olympic appearances, he has a solid chance to accomplish something which seemed unattainable just a few months ago 鈥� to medal in an individual event.
鈥淗e has done all the hard work. He鈥檚 in top form both on the ski jump and, of course, the cross-country course. And with the craziness of COVID, he is well positioned to show the world what he is made of."
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Larry Lage, The Associated Press
