Athletes visited the NYU Langone Health, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centres, in New York City following the conclusion of a recent training camp in Lake Placid on the eve of the new season.

They had the opportunity to visit the centre’s physical and occupational therapy facility, where they spent three days doing various testing.

This included completed nutrition sessions, along with VO2 and lactate and Sparta testing, that among other things measures fitness levels and injury risk.

"It was really great to do another visit to the NYU Langone facilities," said men’s Nordic combined team member Jared Shumate.

"Since this was the second trip there, we had a baseline of measurements to compare too and got to see our progress from the beginning of the summer until now.

"We were working with the same doctors on both trips, it felt like they knew us and that made the environment for testing really friendly.

"It’s really helpful to get a gauge of where our fitness is at right before we head off to Europe to start competing.

"It was reassuring to see improvements and that boosted my confidence in the training that we’re doing."

Under the partnership with USA Nordic, NYU Langone’s sports health experts will provide preventive and injury care, nutrition education, field testing of athletes, counsel on strength and conditioning as well as integration of new technologies to help athletes achieve their goals.

"The partnership with NYU Langone will provide our athletes with leadership and counsel from a remarkable team of medical professionals to ensure they are prepared to compete at the highest level possible," said USA Nordic sport director Jed Hinkley.

"In particular, it’s an opportunity for us to partner with NYU Langone’s sports medicine team on innovative approaches to training with its cutting-edge research in elite sport."

As a part of the partnership, NYU Langone will provide all national team and junior national team athletes with annual physicals and in-depth screenings at its facilities in New York City or USA Nordic’s training base in Lake Placid.

The partnership will also be utilised to help USA Nordic in its return to sport throughout COVID-19 and post-pandemic.

"The partnership between NYU Langone and USA Nordic will help its athletes achieve maximum performance and health," said Laith Jazrawi, chief of the division of sports medicine at NYU Langone Health.

"NYU Langone’s world-class specialists and facilities will enable us to bring multidisciplinary care and science-based tactics to the organisation."