Italian Ski Jumpers Celebrate Historic Double Win at Rasnov

The ski jumpers from Italy experienced a phenomenal triumph at the FIS Grand Prix in Rasnov, Romania. Lara Malsiner celebrated her first-ever Grand Prix victory, finishing ahead of her teammate Annika Sieff and Japan's Nozomi Maruyama.

Malsiner delivered impressive jumps of 94 and 95.5 meters on the HS 97 hill, while Sieff also achieved a milestone in her career by placing second with a score of 16.1 points (88 and 90 meters).

This remarkable outcome serves as a significant boost for Italy's new coaching staff, Harry Rodlauer and Romed Moroder, who took the helm of the Italian women's team after last season.

“This is incredible! It's my first win, and I usually excel in winter, so this is a bit surprising for me,” said an elated Malsiner. She credited the team's success to a strategic mix of both young and experienced athletes who motivate each other. "We clicked with the new coaches right from the start, and that synergy was reflected in today’s results," she added, noting that her performance has now placed her in fourth place in the overall FIS Grand Prix standings.

After the competition, Coach Harry Rodlauer remarked, “We were taken by surprise by this outcome, especially considering how strong the Slovenian team looked during training yesterday.

We strategized with our athletes following yesterday’s practice, and while they showed they could jump well, doing it so effectively today caught us off guard. I am thrilled with the entire team; all five athletes performed exceptionally. We had a bit of luck on our side with these stellar jumps, and it all came together perfectly in the end,” said an enthusiastic Rodlauer.

In addition to Malsiner’s victory and Sieff’s second-place finish, Italy saw additional podium results with Martina Ambrosi (12th place), Jessica Malsiner (19th), and Martina Zanitzer (25th) all scoring points.

The best performance from Slovenia came from Tina Erzar, who placed fourth, while World Champion Ema Klinec and overall World Cup winner Nika Prevc finished seventh and ninth, respectively.

Meanwhile, France’s Lilou Zepchi surprised the crowd by securing sixth place.

The women from China also made a strong showing, with all six athletes finishing in the top 30, notably Qi Liu in 11th place.

The second FIS Women’s Grand Prix in Rasnov is set to commence on Sunday at 10:30 AM.