Olympic silver medallist Katharina Schmid (GER) overcame a weather impacted FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Lillehammer to complete a remarkable opening to the 2024/25 season for the German.
It was her third podium finish in three events across as many days, following victory with her nation's Mixed Team line-up on Friday and placing second in the first individual World Cup of the season on Saturday.
The first two days of competition in Norway on the HS140 Lysgårdsbakken hill had utilised snow stored by organisers last winter, but fresh powder arrived overnight and continued to fall throughout the event.
Schmid thrived in her ‘favourite’ venue and claimed victory with a combined total of 238.9 points, with team-mate Selina Freitag (GER) improved on her third-place finish on Saturday to secure second (236.1).
Lisa Eder (AUT) completed the top-three (231.7), claiming what was just the second World Cup podium of her career, with the last coming almost three years ago.
Victory put Schmid top of the World Cup standings ahead of Freitag (GER), with Nika Prevc (SLO), who was 11th, slipping to third.
Winter finally arrived in Lillehammer with snowfall gradually building on the third day of the ‘race weekend’ and with conditions predicted to deteriorate during the day, competitions were brought forward in an attempt to complete the action before the weather closed in.
65 entrants became 40 following the qualifying round, which would be reduced to 30 after the first ‘proper’ round of the Women’s Individual HS140 World Cup event.
Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR), whose three World Cup victories last season all came in her home nation, had been disqualified for a suit violation on between the rounds on Saturday.
As a result, her low World Cup ranking saw her open the competition on Sunday.
With nothing to compare her jump (128.5m / 121.7 points) to, she shrugged after landing, but it quickly became clear that it was a class above those who followed.
Indeed, 38 athletes had leapt from the Women’s Individual HS140 hill before Kvandal would be overtaken.
Before that happened though Jaci Seifriedsberger (AUT), who had topped the qualifying rankings ahead of the first World Cup, before she too was disqualified after a problem with her suit, eased into the second round with a score of 101.5 points, after a jump of 121m.
Visibility was becoming increasingly difficult, but the wind remained low, so the competition continued and teenage star Ingvild Synnove Midtskogen (NOR) gave further evidence of her emerging potential 127.5m distance and 116.6.
That would put her in fifth before Selina Freitag (GER) demonstrated her continued impressive consistency at the start of the season to record 130m / 118.7 points and give herself a chance of a second-successive World Cup podium finish.
Katharina Schmid (GER), who was second on Saturday, soon did the same.
She punched the air and patted her chest after landing, indicating she was happy, as were the judges, who awarded her 127.1 points for a jump of 133.5m.
Nika Prevc (SLO), the 2023/24 crystal globe champion and winner of the opening World Cup event on Saturday, was the only athlete would could deny Schmid first place after the first jump, but surprisingly would only place 10th.
Sara Takanashi (JPN) has achieved more World Cup wins – 63 – than any athlete in history, but it is over two and a half years since she last topped the podium on the circuit.
She found herself down in 25th, only just making it inside the cut-off point after the first jump, but the 28-year-old was much improved in the second.
120m / 93.9 points saw her climb eight places and countrywoman Seto Yuka (JPN) was another to make major moves, going up from 18th to place ninth.
Prevc (SLO) had hoped to make similar improvements, but the 19-year-old winner of the first World Cup, perhaps fatigued from her efforts less an 24 hours earlier, was unable to find her best form and would ultimately place 11th.
The podium places would be battled out between ski jumpers from Austria, Norway and German though.
Norwegian pair Midtskogen and Kvandal will undoubtedly challenge for honours this season and again performed well, but ultimately fell just short of the top-three on this occasion.
Lisa Eder (AUT), who had finished seventh on Saturday, demonstrated a much greater challenge at the top of the standings and her second-round jump of 128m helped her combined points total rise to 231.7 and guarantee her a medal.
It was her first since claiming third at the Hinzenbach (AUT) World Cup in February 2022 and only the second of her career.
Germany’s lead two female ski jumpers have shown phenomenal form throughout the opening weekend and that continued in the second round.
23-year-old Freitag is yet to win an individual World Cup and was unable to claim a podium finish last season, but is now back demonstrating the form she showed in 2023, where she attained three.
Silver was her reward for an impressive display across two rounds, with her team-mate Schmid doing just enough with her second jump, which cleared 123m and scored 111.8 points, to ensure victory.
The women’s field will now reconvene at the second World Cup venue of the season in Zhangjiakou, China, which hosted the sport at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
That competition, which takes place from 13-15 December, will feature two Normal Hill World Cup events.
13.12.2024
16:00 – Training
18:00 – QUA Women’s NH
14.12.2024
16:00 – Start Trial Round – WC Women NH
17:00 – Competition start – WC Women NH
18:30 – Prize giving ceremony – WC Women NH
15.12.2024
16:00 – Start Trial Round – WC Women NH
17:00 – Competition start – WC Women NH
18:30 – Prize giving ceremony – WC Women NH
All times listed are CST (China Standard Time).
