This Country Returns to the Ski Jumping World Championships After Eight Years Away!

After an eight-year break, Latvia will be represented once again on the world stage in ski jumping. In Trondheim, 15-year-old Karlis Svede is set to take part in the World Championships. Svede, who has already competed three times in FIS Cup events—outperforming only his fellow countryman—will be the first Latvian to appear in the last three editions of the championships.

Despite the fact that Latvia’s highest peak, Gaizinkalns, reaches only 312 meters above sea level, athletes from this Baltic country have been participating in international competitions on lower-level venues. While Sigulda once boasted a K50 hill, today the country only has smaller facilities (up to K15), with Latvian jumpers training in nearby Otepaa in Estonia or in Poland. In 2023, for example, Latvian championships were held on facilities in Tallinn after a 49-year gap.

The national record is held by ski jumper Markuss Vinogradovs, who reached 130 meters in Trondheim. Previously, Kristaps Nezborts took part in the world championships in 2013, 2015, and 2017 – though he never qualified for a contest segment or earned FIS Cup points. In the past three editions of the World Championships, no Latvian jumper had appeared. Now, Latvia will once again be represented.

Latvian Representation at the World Ski Jumping Championships

“Karlis Svede was nominated as the Latvian champion in ski jumping. His award from the Valmiera Municipality was personally received by his parents while he was at a training camp in Poland preparing for the world championships in Trondheim. Svede has successfully met all the requirements and is now included in the Latvian national team,” reported the school in Strenci, the small hometown of the jumper.

The 15-year-old has also tried his hand at Nordic combined, competing primarily in youth events. In October 2024, he made his senior FIS Cup debut, where he finished near the bottom on the hill in Otepaa, Estonia – his only compatriot, 15-year-old Markuss Broks, fared even worse.

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