Canadian ski jumper Abi Strate kicked off the new year in style, clinching her first-ever World Cup victory on Thursday. The 24-year-old athlete from Calgary secured the gold medal on the large hill in Oberstdorf, Germany with an impressive score of 268.2 points.
Outperforming her competitors, Strate outshined China’s Zeng Ping by a margin of 10.5 points. Zeng settled for second place with 257.7 points, closely followed by Germany’s Selina Freitag with 257.3 points.
Expressing her elation, Strate shared, “This has been my lifelong dream. I’ve always pursued it, never certain it would come true. But it did, and I’m ecstatic.” She highlighted her affinity for the German terrain, stating, “The German hills seem to suit me well. I felt at ease from the first training jump, ranking third. The inrun plays a crucial role for me, and this one is ideal for finding my comfort zone.”
Following a seventh-place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Strate acknowledged her Slovenian-based coaching team for guiding her to her eighth World Cup podium and third podium finish of the season. Reflecting on her performance, she mentioned, “Today was unexpected for me. I’ve been struggling to stay relaxed this winter, feeling the pressure after early season podium finishes. But connecting with my coaches and discussing strategies helped me stay calm.”
Leading into the final round with a significant 15-point advantage, Strate showcased her skills with a remarkable jump of 136 meters, earning 146.1 points on her initial attempt. Recalling her exceptional performance, she shared, “The first round was outstanding. Everything fell into place. Despite previous inrun position challenges, a change in approach helped me hit the take-off perfectly. I maintained composure throughout the jump.”
Strate’s success this season includes two silver medals in big hill jumping in Lillehammer, Norway, and Wisla, Poland, along with an Olympic test event victory in Predazzo, Italy. Notably, she was part of Canada’s historic Olympic bronze-medal winning team in Beijing in 2022. The large hill event is set to debut at the upcoming Olympics in Milano-Cortina this February.