Canadian ski jumper Abi Strate clinched a silver medal at a women’s ski jumping World Cup event held in Sapporo, Japan over the weekend. Hailing from Calgary and aged 24, Strate achieved this feat in the women’s large hill competition, following her bronze win in a normal hill event earlier in the week in Zao, Japan.
Expressing her joy, Strate mentioned, “I’m really happy to get silver in Sapporo because it is a hill that I’ve struggled on for years. In the past, my jumping here has been inconsistent and I’ve gotten a bit lost in my head. This year I came in determined to make friends with the hill, and that made a big difference.”
During the final round, Strate delivered the top jump with a 130.0-metre effort, accumulating a total score of 273.9 points. This marked her fourth World Cup podium finish of the season and the ninth in her career. Slovenia’s Nika Prevc secured the gold with 279.4 points, while Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm claimed the bronze with 260.3 points.
Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Nicole Maurer from Calgary finished 37th and did not progress to the final round. Strate, gearing up for her second Olympic appearance in February in Italy, achieved a 23rd place in the individual normal hill event and a bronze in the mixed team event at the 2022 Games.
Reflecting on her recent performance, Strate remarked, “This week was a really good start. These were my last competitions before the Games, so it’s exciting to finish on a high as we head into the final training period.”
