Loutitt finds podium at Ski Jumping World Cup in Zao, Japan
Canadian ski jumper Alexandria Loutitt stepped onto the podium on Friday at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Zao, Japan.
“I’m definitely really happy with my performance today. I finally feel like everything is back in motion,” said the 20-year-old Calgarian post-competition.
Loutitt placed third, scoring 216.7 points. She jumped 94.0m on her first jump and 98.5 on her seconds. The podium was topped by Nika Prevc of Slovenia, marking her fifth victory of the season. Second place went to home crowd favourite Yuki Ito of Japan. Ito had the longest jump of the day on the normal hill, spanning 101.5m on her second attempt.
The hill at Zao holds fond memories for Loutitt. She secured her first ever World Cup podium there, placing first at the venue last January.
It was a solid overall performance for Team Canada, with Abigail Strate finishing 7th and Nicole Maurer finishing 26th. The Canadian team has reached the podium in seven of the 10 events they have competed in this year.
This is Loutitt’s first World Cup podium of 2024, following a successful end to 2023, which saw her on the podium three times in December. Loutitt had a bumpy go in the first events after the calendar flipped.
“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.”
Strate has had a breakout season, reaching the podium three times since December. Loutitt is looking forward to jumping with her teammate as competition continues over 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.”
The next World Cup will take place Jan 26-28 in Ljubno, Slovenia.