Fifth victory for Nika Kriznar
Sep 23, 2023·Ski Jumping
Slovenian Nika Kriznar won the first of two FIS Women's Ski Jumping Grand Prix in Rasnov (ROU) on Saturday. Kriznar won clearly ahead of Nozomi Maruyama (JPN) and Ema Klinec (SLO) who were equal in points.
The five-time World Cup winner and two-time medalist of the Olympic Games in Beijing (gold mixed team, bronze individual) celebrated her fifth victory in the fifth competition of the Grand Prix 2023. Thus Kriznar is already the 2023 Grand Prix overall winner with two competitions still to come. Kriznar has 500 points, followed in second place by Japan's Sara Takanashi (290), and third is Canadian World Champion Alexandria Loutitt.
"Yesterday I didn't get along so well here in Rasnov, but today everything fit and I am very happy with my jumps. The temperatures are quite extreme here, but we are used to that when we jump in summer" said Kriznar. During the competition the thermometer showed almost 30°C in Rasnov, which is located 2 hours north of Bucharest by car.
Second place was shared by Slovenia's Ema Klinec and Japan's Nozomi Maruyama.
The Japanese athlete's performance is to be rated particularly highly after her serious injury in October 2022: "Training and rehearsal were not yet good, but then it worked great in the competition. I only got the screw out of my knee in May and I'm all the happier that it's already working so well again now.
Maruyama had suffered a torn cruciate ligament in October 2022 and was out for the entire winter season. It was only after the screw was removed from her left knee in May that Nozomi Maruyama was able to slowly start training again. "That it is going so well now is the best motivation for me for the coming winter, I will give everything to jump at a high level also in winter" explained Nozomi.
Fourth place went to Canadian Abigail Strate ahead of third Slovenian Ajda Kosnjek.
Best Norwegian was surprisingly Heidi Dyhre Traaserud ahead of World Champion Alexandria Loutitt and the best German athlete Juliane Seyfarth on rank 8, directly behind her team mate Pia Lilian Kuebler was happy about rank 9.
On Sunday the second Grand Prix of the women will take place in Rasnov
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