Fourth victory of the season for Katharina Schmid-Althaus, winner in Villach

World Cup: Fourth victory of the season for Katharina Schmid-Althaus, winner in Villach

It is the fourth victory this season for Katharina Schmid-Althaus, who maintains her first place in the overall World Cup standings.

In Villach (Austria), Germany's Katharina Schmid-Althaus won the eighth stage of the Ski Jumping World Cup. With this victory, she strengthens her lead in the overall ranking against Slovenia’s Nika Prevc, who finished second this Sunday.

On her cumulative score of 264.7 points from two jumps, the 28-year-old German secured her victory thanks to a second jump that scored 132.5 points (97 meters), which allowed her to take the lead in the competition. Nika Prevc, also with four victories this season, finished second after scoring 260.2 points in the finals. She had led after the first jump, but her second (initiated from a lower bar) was not as strong as Schmid's.

Performing very well in her second jump, Jacqueline Seifriedsberger moved up to capture third place after initially being seventh following the first jump, scoring 251.4 points. German competitors Lisa Eder and Selina Freitag ranked fourth and fifth respectively, with only one French competitor, Joséphine Pagnier, who qualified for the finals and finished in 22nd place.

The curtain will rise on the big hill competition (HS128) on Monday, with qualifications starting at 1 PM followed by the finals shortly after.

Schmid and Prevc Dominate the Day

After the first half of the finals, it was the Slovene, Globe of Crystal 2024 winner, who took the lead with 139.2 points for her jump of 99 meters, followed closely by the other major favorite, Katharina Schmid, who had 132.2 points.

During the qualifications on Sunday morning, Nika Prevc jumped the furthest, achieving a distance of 102 meters (136.7 points). However, she ranked second in qualifications, with Katharina Schmid at the top with her jump of 141.7 points (97 meters). Canadian Alexandria Loutitt also placed third, while the two French competitors, Joséphine Pagnier and Emma Chervet, qualified for the finals in the 18th and 33rd places, respectively.

In addition, results from the eighth stage of the World Cup can be viewed here.