Women’s ski flying: Loutitt sets new record – Althaus strong in Vikersund

At the first women’s ski flying training session in Vikersund, Canadian large hill world champion Alexandria Loutitt set the new best for a female athlete. Katharina Althaus jumped close to the 200-meter mark with significantly less run-up, but was not able to break it.

Loutitt landed at 222.0 meters in the first training session on the ski flying hill in Vikersund, Norway, and together with the Slovenian Ema Klinec (221.0 meters) was the first woman to surpass the 220 meter mark.

20 years ago, the Austrian Daniela Iraschko-Stolz sailed 200 meters as a lead jumper in Bad Mitterndorf. In addition to Loutitt and Klinec, who started with a significantly reduced inrun, Maren Lundby (212.5/Norway) and the Japanese Yuki Ito (200.0) also jumped this distance on Saturday.

Althaus lands before the 200 meter mark

From a German point of view, record world champion Katharina Althaus showed a good performance and jumped 190.0 meters with a short inrun. “It’s just awesome“, said the woman from Oberstdorf: “I was pretty nervous, but I was so happy. Things are going great. The feeling of getting over the crest and flying is just great.” She was definitely satisfied with her distance, but hopes for the competition on Sunday, “that there is sometimes a two hundred“.

Selina Freitag also came after her 174.0 meters “can’t get out of the grin anymore. It made me so mad. To be able to fly here is incredible“, said the Saxon and praised the cohesion of the athletes. “Of course we all want to crack the 200 meters. We stick together, we are a ski jumping family.” Anna Rupprecht, on the other hand, did not make it past 124.0 meters.

In Vikersund on Sunday (10.00 live in the sports show) the first official ski flying for women in history is on the program. The 15 best jumpers in the raw air rating are eligible to start on the “Monsterbakken”, including Althaus, Freitag and Rupprecht.