Reisch Sets Hill Record – Freitag Finishes Fourth

During the World Cup opening in Lake Placid, the female ski jumpers faced extreme challenges as high winds forced the session to be halted on Friday morning. After an eight‐hour delay, with the restart occurring in the middle of the night in Germany, the athletes had to quickly adapt to continuously changing conditions.

Slovenia’s Nika Prevc made the most of the long pause and dominated the competition, following in the footsteps of his brother, Domen Prevc, who had clinched the qualification earlier. The German team, despite the freezing temperatures and snowfall, also celebrated strong performances. Selina Freitag from WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal impressed by finishing in fourth place with jumps measuring 123.5 and 125 meters – just four points shy of a podium finish.

Adding to the drama, Agnes Reisch set a new hill record by reaching 130.5 meters. Unfortunately, because her first jump in better conditions only reached 123.5 meters, she ended up in fifth place overall. In other developments, seven-time world champion Katharina Schmid experienced difficulties on her first jump, landing eleventh, although she improved in the final round. Juliane Seyfarth also showed promise in the first round but fell back dramatically in her second attempt.

The event took place with only a minimal team representing Germany, as only the four athletes nominated for the upcoming Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim were selected, while other team members competed in the FIS Continental Cup in Eisenerz. Despite the turbulent conditions, the competition delivered thrilling moments and highlighted the resilience of the world’s top ski jumpers.