Abigail Strate Flies to Eighth at Summer Grand Prix Series Finale in Germany
Klingenthal, GER.— Canadian ski jumper, Abigail Strate, battled to a courageous eighth-place finish on the large hill at the FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix Series on Saturday in Klingenthal, Germany.
The 23-year-old Calgarian, who rattled off three podium finishes on the World Cup last season, posted a total of 216.8 points in her two leaps on the 125 metre ramp.
“I am happy with my performance today. I showed my best jumps of the weekend when it counted, in competition, so this gives me good confidence in my mental readiness heading into the winter,” said the multi-talented Strate, who is also a certified bee keeper and graphic designer. “There is still inconsistency in my jumps in training. I am looking to minimize the difference between my ‘good’ and ‘bad’ jumps when we get back on skis after a short fall trip to Canada.”
The colourful Canuck, who was competing in her first competition since a gnarly fall in training last month, nailed the consistency in the deepest field on the Summer Grand Prix season, soaring to jumps of 122.5 and 125.5 metres in her two attempts.
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.
“Overall, this was a positive way for me to close the summer, and I will be able to rest easy the next few weeks at home,” added Strate. “I showed jumps that put me in the top-10 at the most highly attended event of the summer, and the final one before the start of the winter season. I feel I am exactly where I need to be heading into the winter.”
Germany’s Katharina Schmid snagged the final individual gold medal of the women’s summer campaign with a point total of 253.6. Norway’s Eirin Maria Kvandal was second at 240.6, while Japan’s Yuki Ito landed on the bronze-medal step of the podium with 235.8 points.
Strate’s Olympic-medal winning teammate, Alex Loutitt, was 18th on Saturday with 191.7 points. Nicole Maurer (Calgary) did not qualify for the final round of 30, placing 32nd.
Italy’s Lara Malsiner was the queen of the five-event 2024 Summer Grand Prix. The Canadians competed in just three events. Loutitt was 16th overall, while Strate placed 17th, and Maurer 53rd.
Ski jumping is performed in the summer on an in-run where the tracks are made from porcelain and the grass on the slope is covered with water-soaked plastic. A core part of an athlete’s development and season-long competition schedule, summer ski jumping began in 1994 for men. Women began jumping competitively during the summer months in 2012.
The trio of Canucks will return home this week for a short break before centralizing back in Slovenia to begin final preparations for the 2024-25 World Cup campaign.
Complete Grand Prix Ski Jumping Results – Klingenthal, GER
Overall FIS Grand Prix Women’s Standings
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.
