Abi Strate from Canada achieved a podium finish in the World Cup season opener held in Lillehammer, Norway. The Calgary native secured a silver medal in the large hill event, showcasing impressive jumps of 129 and 121 meters, accumulating a total of 259.7 points across two rounds. Nozomi Maruyama of Japan clinched the gold with 285.5 points, while Lisa Eder from Austria claimed the bronze with 255.4 points.
Nicole Mauer from Canada finished in the 22nd position with a total of 205.3 points. Strate expressed her satisfaction with the result, stating, “Not a bad start. It feels really good. I can’t believe this is the life I’m living now. I’ve faced challenges in this sport for a long time, and being among the top athletes regularly is surreal. It feels comfortable yet insane.”
This marked the sixth time Strate has stood on a World Cup podium, equaling her career-best performance achieved nearly two years ago in Obertsdorf, Germany. Reflecting on her performance, Strate mentioned, “My qualifying jump was the best. I was relaxed and calm. Despite some stress during the competition, I focused on improving my jumps and maintaining a training mindset.”
Strate emphasized the rewarding feeling of finishing the day on a positive note and seeing her coaches and team celebrating. She acknowledged the contrast between feeling fulfilled and disappointed at the end of a competition day.
The event in Lillehammer signals a promising start to an Olympic year for Strate, who was part of Canada’s historic bronze-winning team at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. The large hill competition is set to debut at the upcoming Olympics in Milano-Cortina in February. Strate also achieved success by winning an Olympic test event in Predazzo, Italy, last September.