Ski Jumping – Seifriedsberger Wins in Japan; Only Freitag in Top Ten

The women’s ski jumping competition in Zao, located in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture, turned out to be a mixed day for the German team. Austrian Jacqueline Seifriedsberger clinched victory in the individual event with impressive jumps of 99.0 and 94.5 meters. In contrast, the six German jumpers had an off day. Selina Freitag and Katharina Schmid, in particular, did not perform as expected and ended up in eighth and twelfth place respectively.

Before their first-round jumps, both Freitag and Schmid were affected by an unexpected change: the starting gate was lowered by two levels because Seifriedsberger had set a high mark with a 99.0‐meter jump. This reduction in their available run-up force meant that they could only manage jumps of 91.5 and 88.0 meters, leading to mid-competition rankings in the half-final standings.

In the second round, external conditions further complicated matters. Katharina Schmid, battling strong headwind during her jump, recorded only 83.0 meters, while Selina Freitag managed to extend her jump by five meters—but still could only finish in eighth place overall. The result has increased the gap in the overall World Cup standings, particularly between Schmid and the leader, Slovenian Nika Prevc. Meanwhile, five of the six DSV jumpers advanced to the second round, with Juliane Seyfarth and Alvine Holz collecting valuable World Cup points despite modest performances, and only Anna Hollandt missing out with a jump of 77 meters.

This event in Zao underscores the fine margins in ski jumping—where slight alterations to the start gate and unexpected wind conditions can heavily influence the outcome. As the season unfolds, these factors will continue to affect World Cup standings and the competitive dynamics among the elite athletes.