Ski Jumper Selina Freitag a Force in Ljubno

German ski jumper Selina Freitag delivered an outstanding performance in Ljubno, reinforcing her medal aspirations ahead of the World Championships. Despite differing wind conditions – whether with tailwind, headwind, or calm – the Oberwiesenthal athlete jumped with remarkable consistency. On Sunday, her distances of 88.0 and 95.5 meters earned her a spot on the winner’s podium, with only Nika Prevc, who celebrated a double victory in front of home fans, finishing ahead. Lisa Eder of Austria took the third spot on the podium.

In contrast to Freitag’s fluid performance, former top contender Katharina Schmid faced a rollercoaster day. After a strong qualification where she finished fourth, she overreached during the competition and fell short initially with an 81.5-meter jump. In the final round, however, Schmid improved to 93 meters to climb from seventh to fifth place, emphasizing her need to regain confidence.

Other notable stories from Ljubno include Luisa Görlich, who celebrated a comeback year after a previous cruciate ligament injury. The Thüringer jumper, who improved from 13th on Saturday to 12th on Sunday with consistent jumps around 84 meters, expressed her delight and hinted that a World Championship invitation might be on the horizon. Additionally, Juliane Seyfarth recorded a breakthrough jump in the finals, leaping 10 meters further than her first attempt to secure valuable World Cup points.

The event was not without its setbacks. The Norwegian team was forced to withdraw after Thea Minyan Björseth suffered a serious fall on her final jump, resulting in knee and elbow injuries that necessitated immediate hospitalization and surgery. Also, Agnes Reisch, one of Germany’s leading contenders, opted out for recovery reasons following a recent podium finish.

Overall, the report highlights a day of dramatic contrasts in Ljubno, with powerful performances, personal comebacks, and unfortunate injuries marking the high-stakes atmosphere of international ski jumping.