Canadian ski jumper Abi Strate kicked off the new year in style, clinching her maiden World Cup victory on Thursday. Hailing from Calgary, the 24-year-old secured the gold medal on the large hill in Oberstdorf, Germany with an impressive 268.2 points.
Strate outperformed China’s Zeng Ping by a margin of 10.5 points, as Zeng settled for second place with 257.7 points, closely followed by Germany’s Selina Freitag with 257.3 points.
Expressing her elation, Strate shared, “This has always been my ultimate dream. I’ve relentlessly pursued it, not knowing if it would ever come true. But today, I finally did it.” She previously finished second in Oberstdorf two years ago.
Reflecting on her success, Strate noted, “The German slopes seem to suit me well. During the initial training jump today, I ranked third. I encountered no difficulties, and the inrun is crucial for me, providing the perfect setup to find my comfort zone.”
Following a seventh-place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Wednesday, Strate acknowledged her Slovenian-based coaching team for guiding her to her eighth World Cup podium and third podium finish of the season.
Commenting on her performance, Strate remarked, “Today was quite unexpected for me. I felt a bit pressured this winter and struggled to remain relaxed after the early season podiums. However, reconnecting with my coaches and discussing our strategies completely eased my nerves today.”
Carrying a substantial 15-point lead into the final round with the top 20 competitors, Strate excelled with a remarkable first attempt, covering 136 meters and earning 146.1 points.
Describing her flawless first jump, Strate said, “Everything came together in the first round. We worked on minimizing my inrun position concerns, and it paid off. I executed the take-off perfectly, maintained composure in the air, and sailed smoothly down the slope.”
Strate’s successful season included two silver medals in big hill jumping 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 team in the mixed event at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.
The large hill competition is set to debut at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics in February, where Strate will aim to continue her impressive performance on the global stage.