Canadian ski jumper Abi Strate achieved a significant milestone at the beginning of the year by clinching her first-ever World Cup victory. The 24-year-old athlete from Calgary secured the gold medal on the large hill in Oberstdorf, Germany, accumulating 268.2 points.
Strate outperformed China’s Zeng Ping by a margin of 10.5 points, with Zeng finishing in second place with 257.7 points, followed closely by Germany’s Selina Freitag with 257.3 points.
Expressing her elation, Strate mentioned that winning a World Cup had always been her dream, and she had relentlessly chased after it. She credited her success in part to the favorable conditions on the German hills, emphasizing the importance of the inrun in finding a comfortable position.
Following a seventh-place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen the day before, Strate acknowledged her team’s support in helping her secure her eighth World Cup podium finish and third of the season. She highlighted the role of her coaching team in helping her relax and focus on her jumps.
Entering the final round with a commanding 15-point lead, Strate delivered an exceptional performance, covering 136 meters and earning 146.1 points on her first attempt. She described her initial jump as flawless and mentioned feeling comfortable and focused throughout the competition.
Strate had previously secured two silver medals in big hill jumping events in Lillehammer, Norway, and Wisla, Poland, as well as an Olympic test event in Predazzo, Italy. Notably, she was part of Canada’s historic bronze-medal-winning mixed team at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. The large hill event is set to debut at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics in February.