Abi Strate, a Canadian ski jumper, achieved a remarkable feat by clinching a silver medal in the World Cup season opener held in Lillehammer, Norway. Hailing from Calgary, she excelled in the large hill event, covering impressive distances of 129 and 121 meters to accumulate a total of 259.7 points across the two rounds of competition.
The gold medal went to Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama with a score of 285.5 points, while Lisa Eder from Austria secured the bronze with 255.4 points. Another Canadian athlete, Nicole Mauer, finished in 22nd place with a total of 205.3 points.
Expressing her elation, Strate mentioned, “Not a bad start. It feels really good. I can’t really process that this is the life I’m living right now. I’ve struggled in this sport for so long. I always look at the top athletes with so much awe and now I’m up there regularly with them. Yes, it feels comfortable right now, but it’s insane.”
This success in Lillehammer marked the sixth time Strate has graced a World Cup podium in her career, matching her exceptional performance when she secured silver in Obertsdorf, Germany almost two years ago.
Reflecting on her performance, Strate shared, “My qualifying jump was the best one. I was the most relaxed and calm. In today’s competition there was some stress in the air. I could have opened up and flown a little further, but I’m just trying to put myself in the mindset of training. That’s always the goal, just focus on the jumps and get them as good as I can.”
Strate, who was part of Canada’s historic Olympic bronze-medal winning team in the mixed team event in Beijing 2022, is gearing up for the large hill competition’s debut at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics in February. She had previously triumphed in an Olympic test event in Predazzo, Italy in September.
This exceptional performance sets the stage for an exciting Olympic year for Strate, showcasing her prowess and determination in the sport of ski jumping.