Calgary’s Abigail Strate placed 11th in the women’s normal hill event at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. She scored 122.7 points on her first jump, ranking 12th initially, and improved to 11th with 117.7 points on her second attempt, totaling 240.4 points.
Norway’s Anna Odine Stroem secured the gold with a combined score of 267.3, followed by Nika Prevc from Slovenia with 266.2 points and Nozomi Maruyama from Japan with 261.8 points.
In the 2022 Beijing Games, Strate was part of the team that won Canada’s first Olympic ski jumping medal, a bronze in the mixed event. Another Calgary jumper, Nicole Maurer, finished 19th with a score of 226.6.
Strate expressed her disappointment at the outcome but remains optimistic, looking forward to the support of friends and family. Canada did not field a mixed team in these Olympics.
Next, Strate will compete in the women’s large hill event, debuting in this Olympic edition. She achieved five out of six World Cup medals this season in the large hill category, including a gold in Germany on January 1.
Training for the large hill event begins on February 12, with the competition scheduled for February 15.
Anna Odine Stroem delivered a strong performance in her final jump, reaching 101 meters and totaling 267.3 points, narrowly surpassing Nika Prevc by 1.1 points. Prevc was trailing Stroem by one point before the final jump, with Maruyama closely behind in third place.
Prevc, part of the renowned Prevc ski jumping family, follows in the footsteps of her brothers, Peter and Cene, who have also achieved Olympic success in the sport. Domen Prevc, another sibling, will compete in the men’s normal hill event, potentially making history if he medals, as it would be the first time brother and sister ski jumpers both medaled at the same Olympics.
The top-performing Americans were Annika Belshaw in 21st place and Paige Jones in 23rd.
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