Todd Lodwick

Todd Lodwick (born November 21, 1976, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado) is an American nordic combined skier and by several measures the most successful North American in this sport ever. In 2009, he became world champion in nordic combined.

During his international career, between 1993 and 2006, he participated in seven World Championships, five Winter Olympics and 162 World Cup events (placing in the top ten 108 times and the top six 74 times for a total of 28 World Cup podiums). His greatest successes have been 6 World Cup wins—including the 7.5 km sprint event at the 1998 Holmenkollen ski festival, where he was only the third American to win a medal of any color at this prestigious event—and the gold medal at the 1996 Junior World Championships in Asiago, Italy. He finished in Top Ten of the World Cup overall standings eight consecutive years with a fourth place being his best result in the seasons 1997/98, 1999/2000 and 2004/05. Furthermore, Lodwick won 19 US-championships in nordic skiing: 11 in Nordic combined and 8 in ski jumping. Despite competing on such a high level over a long period of time, Todd had not won a medal at a major event prior to his retirement in 2006.

However, Todd returned to competition in 2008, setting his sights on making the team for the 2010 Olympics. In February 2009 at the World Championships in Liberec, he won two gold medals in Nordic combined, earning them in the 10 km individual normal hill and the 10 km mass start events. It was announced on January 2010 that Lodwick made the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also came in fourth in the Nordic Combined 10 km Cross Country on January 14, 2010, 0.7 seconds behind the third place skier. Lodwick was able to earn his first Olympic medal in the Team Competition on February 23, 2010.