Dominant Loutitt soars to first World Cup win of the season

2023 World champion Alexandria Loutitt (CAN) secured the second World Cup win of her career after a dominant display at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Sapporo, Japan, on Saturday. Loutitt performed the two best jumps of the day to finish 12.7 points clear of Austria’s Lisa Eder. Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR) completed the podium.

Loutitt credited her parents for helping her achieve her first World Cup win of the season. “I think my parents are lucky charms”, Loutitt, whose father had been spotted in the stands, said.

“Every time my parents are at an event, I tend to do really well. Clearly, I perform well with my parents around.”

The 21-year-old Canadian led by 2,4 points after the opening round (129.2 points) before securing the win with an impressive second jump (137.2 points) for a combined total of 266.4 points.

“I struggled a lot this season, it’s not a secret”, Loutitt explained. “But coming back to my support system and my team really helped me get things back together and on the right track.

“Those people in my life, like Daniel (Tschofenig, her boyfriend and fellow ski jumper), my teammates, my coaches, and my parents who all do so much to help me in the moments behind closed doors. It feels so good to be back on top (again). Their support is so meaningful to me.”

For Loutitt it’s not only the second World Cup victory of her career, but also the second win in Japan after triumphing in Zao (JPN) two years ago.

Eder moves up nine places

On Saturday, the Canadian finished 12.7 points ahead of Austria’s Lisa Eder, who moved up nine places after an outstanding performance in the second round.

Eder, who sat in eleventh after the first jump, impressed with 134.7 points in the second round to take an early lead with the top ten jumpers left to go. The Austrian had set an incredibly high standard for her fellow competitors and only saw Loutitt surpass her at the very last minute. It’s Eder’s third World Cup podium finish of the season, after having landed in third place twice so far.

"It's great to move up so many places", Eder said with a smile. "My second jump was great and it's cool to see where it led to today. It's been a great competition for all of us, and I hope I can even improve a little bit more tomorrow."

Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR) finished in third with 253.1 points and maintained her position from the first round. "I'm really happy with today", Kvandal said. "It's a pleasure to be in Sapporo, Japan, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow as well."

Kvandal finished ahead of Jacqueline Seifreidsberger (AUT), who sat in second after the first round. A disappointing second jump saw her miss out on the podium.

Schmid extends World Cup lead

Selina Freitag (GER) finished in fifth (251.8), with Katharina Schmid in sixth (251.7 points).

Schmid not only defended her yellow yersey as the overall World Cup leader, but also extended her lead. Main rival Nika Prevc (SLO) was unable to finish higher than 11th in Sapporo on Saturday. The difference between the two is now 82 points.

Top-qualifier Bjoerseth misses out

Thea Minyan Bjoerseth of Norway, who topped the qualifications ranking earlier in the day, could not live up to the expectations in the final.

Bjoerseth sat in eighth after the first round. The Norwegian was well on her way to a very strong second jump, but crashed on the landing (121.8 points) and ended up with a combined total of 241.9 points to finish ninth.

Yuki Ito (JPN), who topped the podium in Sapporo last year, finished in 15^th (224.9 points).

The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Sapporo continues on Sunday 19 January. While the women compete in Japan, the men jump in Zakopane (POL) this weekend.