Ski jumper Schmid back on the podium

Ski jumper Katharina Schmid has once again flown onto the podium in Engelberg; however, this time her biggest rival took the victory. The 28-year-old from Allgäu narrowly missed her fifth World Cup win of the season on Saturday, December 21, 2024. Schmid secured second place behind Prevc, who excelled in both rounds. The third position went to Thea Minyan Bjoerseth, who had to hold onto her spot amid confusion about a potential disqualification.

Schmid, who has been dominating the World Cup this season and had recently won decisively in China, performed strongly. She countered Prevc's top jump of 140 meters with an impressive 135 meters under unfavorable conditions and was only 0.9 points behind at halftime. In the final round, Schmid landed at 123.5 meters, while Prevc soared to 134.5 meters. The result was a clear victory for Prevc.

"I’m just glad it’s going so well," said Schmid, adding, "The jumps weren’t optimal. In the second jump, I felt a bit stressed; everything was a bit unsteady at the top, but it went well, and I was just happy to be back on the podium."

The last weekend of the World Cup before the Two-Nights Tour in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf also saw Selina Freitag recovering well from her recent fall in China, finishing in eighth place with jumps of 126 and 125.5 meters, although she expressed dissatisfaction, wanting to translate her strong qualifying performance into the competition.

Agnes Reisch, arriving well-rested from her break in China, returned strong and soared to 130 meters in the first round, enjoying a position in the leaders’ box for some time, before finishing 13th after a final jump ten meters shorter. Juliane Seyfarth placed 17th with jumps of 123.5 and 123 meters.

Alvine Holz, however, found herself on the wrong side of luck in Engelberg after a great performance in the previous World Cup. The 20-year-old from Berlin finished with a jump of only 112 meters, missing the cut for the second round by one place or two points.

Emely Torazza, World Cup newcomer and returning home, unfortunately did not make it past qualification, jumping only 94.5 meters, missing the top 40 by three spots. Torazza, born in Weimar and raised in Glarus, Switzerland, decided to switch federations last spring and has since joined the team of head coach Heinz Kuttin.

In anticipation of the next competition, the excitement continues to build around the ski jumping scene as competitors gear up for the next World Cup events.