Canadian Alex Loutitt Jumps to Bronze at Japan World Cup

ZAO, Jpn.—Alex Loutitt bounced back with a bronze medal on Friday at a World Cup ski jumping stop in Zao, Japan.

The Calgarian landed in third place with a total of 216.7 points for her fourth World Cup podium of the season and sixth of her young career.

“I’m definitely really happy with my performance today. I finally feel like everything is back in motion,” beamed the 20-year-old Calgarian, who added the Canadian team has now landed on the podium in seven of the 10 events they have competed in this year.

After racking up four bronze medals to finish third overall on the Summer Grand Prix season, Loutitt rocketed into the 2023-24 winter campaign with three straight podiums – two silvers, one bronze. 

She faced a setback over the holiday season where she struggled to find a medal-winning flight path.  Her teammate, Abigail Strate, rose to the challenge to continue blazing the podium path for the Canucks. Strate rattled off a medal hat trick of her own with two bronze and a silver.

“I had some bad luck. I crashed. I had a few bad performances. And then all of our luggage got lost (on the way to Japan) so we didn’t compete one day in Sapporo,” said Loutitt. “The second day (in Sapporo) was good, but I was .3 points off the podium (in fourth) and I felt like I was I in such a fog. 

“I made it to Zao with a clear head. I felt like my performance showed that and my last jump today I finally felt like me again so I’m really, really happy.”

Loutitt was in second place after the first round of leapers with a jump off 94.0 metres. She dropped one spot in the standings despite posting the second furthest jump of 98.5 metres in the final round on the normal hill. 

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. 

Slovenia’s Nika Prevc soared to the gold medal with 235.2 points. Japan’s Yuki Ito sprang over Loutitt with the top jump in the final round, taking the silver with 233.1 points.

Under resourced and operating on a shoe-string budget, Loutitt and her Canadian mates are enjoying a historic run that began in Zao one year ago where she captured her first ever World Cup victory. The first podium of her career launched a flight that has also seen her win the junior and senior women’s World Championships, along with a silver medal on the large hill at the in Lillehammer World Cup stop one year ago. Crediting proper preparation with a world-leading coaching staff supporting their pursuit of excellence while centralized in Slovenia for the consistent results, confidence has skyrocketed for the four Canadian women.

Strate also enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022-23 where she consistently placed in the top-10 on the World Cup including a bronze medal in Hinterzarten, Germany to go along with three, fourth-place finishes.

Nicknamed Bee on the World Cup, Strate also bounced back with another top-10 finish on Friday, placing seventh with 210.0. Flying on fumes after her triple medal-winning streak and travel complications, the 22-year-old had back-to-back 12th place finishes coming into Zao.

Nicole Maurer, a 24-year-old aspiring astronaut, who is currently working on a dual major in computer science and astrophysics at the University of Calgary while flying with the top jumpers on the planet, enjoyed a season-best finish in Zao. Maurer chalked up 168.9 points for 26th.

The Canadians sit fifth overall in the Nations Cup standings. Loutitt’s four podiums and eight, top-10 finishes have her in fifth place overall in the individual standings. Finishing in the top-15 in her last seven competitions and four times in the top-10, Abigail Strate sits eighth overall.

Loutitt and Strate, Olympic bronze-medal winning teammates in 2022, will join forces on Saturday in the team event.

“Things are back on track, and I want to keep the momentum going throughout the rest of the weekend. I’m really looking forward to jumping with Abi tomorrow,” said Loutitt. “It is such a fun event, and it will be so much fun to do a team event with Abi, especially when we are in a place where we are really strong as a team.”
Complete Women’s World Cup Results (Normal Hill) – Zao, Japan

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.