American ski jumper Casey Larson has already made history in this year’s Winter Olympics, and all he had to do was make his qualifying jump.
The 19-year-old, one of three Chicago-area skiers competing for Team USA in the Normal Hill Ski Jump, became the 100,000th male Olympic athlete in the modern era of the Games, according to the IOC.
That number includes both the Summer and Winter Olympics, and leaves Larson in a unique place in history that he wasn’t aware he was going to occupy.
“I had no idea about this stat until today, honestly,” he told USA Today after his qualifying jump.
Larson made the most of his historic jump, finishing with a score of 90.9 during qualifying in the Normal Hill competition. That was good enough for 46th place, securing him a place in Saturday’s final in Pyeongchang.
Stunning Photos at the Norge Ski Club
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His fellow Norge Ski Club members Kevin Bickner, who finished in 25th place with a 114.0 score, and Michael Glasder, who finished in 40th with a 94.6 score, will also be competing as Team USA advanced all four of its skiers into the final round of the competition.
