COURCHEVEL, Fra.— Canadian ski jumper, Abigail Strate, flew onto the podium in her first event of the Olympic season.
The 24-year-old Calgarian won the first summer Grand Prix ski jumping medal of her career, taking the bronze in the women’s large hill competition in Courchevel, France with a total of 222.9 points.
“Obviously this feels really good, especially being the Olympic year,” said Strate. The training has been going really well all summer so I was trying to get a benchmark of where I was at against everyone else today.
“There is something in the air when everyone gets back in the same place again. I knew my jumping was good. I had hopes, but I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself.”
Slovenia’s Nika Prevc won the event with a total score of 241.7 points. Germany’s Selina Freitag was second at 224.7.
Strate was leading after the first round of 30 leapers had all launched off the HS135 hill. The multi-talented graphic designer covered 129.5 metres in her first attempt for 106.9 points. She chalked up the fifth-furthest jump of the final round at 119.5 metres but racked up 116.0 points to secure her spot on the podium.
Jumps are scored on both distance and style.
“The first one I was just focused on what the coaches gave me to work on, and I executed that well so that made me feel good,” added Strate. “I was nervous for sure. I could feel it in my stomach so good it was good to know that I can preform under those conditions.
“The second jump I wasn’t as nervous. I knew I was in with pretty tough competition as a lot of those girls have been there more than me. It’s an odd situation being the last one to jump when you look behind you and can’t see any other competitors, but I was able to have a good enough jump to hold onto a spot on the podium,” she said.
The colourful Canuck has been no stranger to the international ski jumping podium since making history with her teammates at Beijing 2022 when they claimed the nation’s first ever Olympic bronze medal.
Strate rattled off a string of three consecutive podium performances in 2023-24 – closing out 2023 with a bronze and silver medal before ringing in the 2024 New Year with another bronze. The only other podium finish in Strate’s eight-year career came when she won the bronze in Hinterzarten, Germany. Three of Strate’s four medals in winter leaping have also come on large hills.
Hills are measured by the average spot where jumpers are expected to land safely, or where the hill flattens. A normal hill is usually 90 metres and the large hill is 120 metres.
The young Canuck also has three, fourth-place finishes in her career and finished sixth overall on the 2023 Summer Grand Prix with four top-six finishes.
“This is a really great start and it is just good for the confidence. A result like this feeds your confidence, feeds your training and future competitions. We are back competing tomorrow, and I’ll now be eager to work on all of the little mistakes on the jump that just never end,” said Strate.
Ski jumping is performed in the summer on an in-run where the tracks are made from porcelain and the grass on the slope is covered with water-soaked plastic. A core part of an athlete’s development and season-long competition schedule, summer ski jumping began in 1994 for men. Women began jumping competitively during the summer months in 2012.
Two other Canadians who call Calgary home also took flight on Saturday. Alexandria Loutitt landed in ninth spot at 183.5 points. Nicole Maurer had a stellar jump in the second round where she covered 114.5 metres to launch her into 16th spot.
Facility closures at home in Calgary forced a new strategy to relocate Ski Jumping Canada’s national program to Planica, Slovenia four years ago. Living out of suitcases, access to minimal equipment, often seen using hand-me-downs, the small but mighty team of four Canadian women under 25 years old have consistently delivered medals at the elite level of the sport with multiple athletes matching flight paths with the world’s best.
With no queen bee, and all four of the women’s team members have been working hard and doing their jobs to find success as a nation. Strate, a certified beekeeper has regularly drawn a parallel between a hive and the Canadian women’s ski jump team based in Slovenia.
“We do kind of operate in a hive mindset. The team always surprises me with all of the support and I am also excited to be that person for my teammates. It feels very wholesome to land and ski into the team waiting for me at the bottom,” said Strate. “I do think that it is (our secret weapon). That support from all of the athletes, coaches and support staff gives us an edge. Sport can be fragile, and we have something that is special. I’m not sure there is another team on the World Cup like us. I know if we stick together, we will continue to be unstoppable.”
Strate and her mates in the Canadian hive will be back at the top of the large hill in Courchevel on Sunday.
Complete Summer Grand Prix Ski Jumping Results – Courchevel, France
Ski Jumping Canada is the governing federation for ski jumping in Canada. It is responsible for the governance of all ski jumping competitions in Canada and for the operation of the national team. For more information, please visit skijumpingcanada.com.
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Media Contact
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