Canadian Ski Jumper Alex Loutitt Soars to Silver at World Cup in Norway

LILLEHAMMER, Nor.—Alex Loutitt put a silver lining around the opening weekend of the World Cup ski jumping season for Team Canada, winning her second medal in as many of events on Sunday.

Known as a big hill jumper, the 19-year-old Calgary resident flew off the large Norwegian hill and landed on the silver-medal step of the podium in Lillehammer for the second-straight year. Loutitt also took the bronze in Saturday’s normal hill event.

“It was good today. My performance was better overall, and I am happy to have been able to achieve my personal goals in addition to the results-based ones”, said Loutitt, who was the top qualifier in both competitions in Lillehammer. “Yesterday, I was upset because I missed out on what I wanted to do results wise because I didn’t achieve my personal goals technically, but I was able to do that today.”

Loutitt was sitting in second spot at the midway point of the competition behind Josephine Pagnier (France) after covering 134.5 metres in her first flight. She closed the gap on the leader after posting the top final jump at 135.5 metres. She came up just shy of the podium with a combined 267.5 points.

“I am comfortable (on the big hill). I am confident in my mental approach, and I fly well now. That wasn’t always the case,” said Loutitt. “I have good fast twitch muscles and long limbs that I can stretch out and get lots of lift, and chill in the air. That is where my strengths lie.”  

Hills are measured by the average spot where jumpers are expected to land safely, or where the hill flattens. A normal hill is usually 90 metres and the large hill is 120 metres. Jumps are scored on both distance and style. The women’s large hill competition will make its Olympic debut at the 2026 Games in Milano/Cortina.

Josephene Pagnier had two nearly perfect flights at the 1994 Olympic venue to secure her first World Cup victory with 272.4. Norway’s Eirin Maria Kvandal landed on the final step of the podium with 252.8 points.

After winning her first four bronze medals on the FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix where she finished third overall this summer, Loutitt has doubled her career World Cup medal total in the first two events of the winter season. The reigning senior and junior women’s World Championship titleholder had a silver medal on the large hill at the Lillehammer World Cup stop one year ago. She also has one World cup victory, winning gold last year in Zao, Japan.

“Going from being a kid from Canada who nobody knows to now showing up as a World Champion with Red Bull on your head is completely different. Knowing that I can now show up to an event and win is a very different experience than being an underdog,” stated the soft-spoken Canuck. “I’ve never felt expectations for others, but I have had to learn how to deal with the pressure I expect of myself to podium. I think this shows consistency and proof that I’m in the competition, and that I’m in the fight for the Crystal Globe.”

All four of Canada’s women’s ski jumpers who have protected their training environment and high-performance journey while centralizing at the temple of ski jumping in Planica, Slovenia, are heading in the right direction while continuing their historic flight path towards the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Currently ranked fourth in the Nations Cup, each of the Canadian women qualified for the competition rounds once again on Sunday.

Abigail Strate – Loutitt’s Olympic bronze-medal winning teammate in 2022 who has also been hunting down international podiums on her own, regularly placing in the top-10 – battled to a 13th-place finish on the large hill. The 22-year-old graphic design student at the Toronto Film School was 13th in each round, combining both jumps for 221.9 points.

“I had a bit more fun on the big hill today,” said Strate, who was disappointed with finishing 20th on Saturday. “It was not the strongest results to show for the start of the season, but the jumps were a lot more relaxed as the weekend went on, and I can see what needs to be done before the next competition.” 

Two other Calgarians – Natalie Eilers and Nicole Maurer – qualified for the competition rounds with the elite 40 but did not advance to the final jump with the 30 best. Eilers placed 37th while Maurer was 40th.

“I think starting the season with all four of us qualifying for both days is an indication of where we are headed, and this is just the beginning,” said the 25-year-old Eilers, who is also studying and working remotely part-time in the trading division for Gibson Energy while chasing her Olympic dream. “We know what needs to be worked on, and I am so excited for our season and to see how far we can progress. Starting the season better than where we ended the last is something we can be proud of.”

The Canadians will return to their training ground for the next two weekends until the World Cup resumes in Switzerland, December 15-17.

Complete Women’s World Cup Results (Large Hill) – Lillehammer, Norway

Ski Jumping Canada is the governing federation for ski jumping in Canada. It is responsible for the governance of all ski jumping competitions in Canada and for the operation of the national team. For more information, please visit skijumpingcanada.com.