Big win for Germany's Schmid as women’s World Cup tour continues in China

Dec 14, 2024·Ski Jumping

Katharina Schmid on top of the podium in Zhangjiakou | NordicFocus

Katharina Schmid (GER) continued her exceptional start of the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season as she landed on top of the podium in Zhangjiakou (CHN) on Saturday. 2022 Olympic medallist Schmid claimed victory with a total of 237.0 points, 27.0 points ahead of Erin Maria Kvandal (NOR).

Kvandal had a 0.1-point advantage over Schmid after the first jump (117.4 versus 117.3 points), but an outstanding second jump (119.7 points) saw Schmid move up to first place.

Schmid continued where she left off last week at the Intercontinental Cup in Zhangjiakou, where she secured two big wins.

It was her third individual World Cup podium finish of the 2024/25 season following a first and second-place finish at the season opener in Lillehammer (NOR). Seven-time world champion Schmid now has a total of 17 individual World Cup wins.

“It feels really great”, Schmid said after her win in Zhangjiakou. “I’m really happy. Especially for my second jump. That one was amazing.”

A long day at the hill

Saturday’s competition on the Snow Ruyi hill Zhangjiakou, a site remembered by many from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, was heavily impacted by weather conditions. It did not stop Schmid, however. “I like the cold”, she said.

“But it wasn’t an easy competition", she added. "It was a very long day at the hill. I just tried to keep warm up there and tried my best. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow", Schmid, who extended her lead in the Overall World Cup ranking, said.

Norway's Kvandal, who secured her first podium finish of the season, was pleased with her result. "I had some really good jumping here today, and I am very happy with the first podium of the season", Kvandal said.

Prevc hoped for more

2023/24 Crystal Globe winner Nika Prevc (SLO), who topped the qualification rankings on Friday, finished third with a 209.9 points total. Prevc bounced back from sixth place after jump one and moved three places to secure a podium finish. "We had really challenging conditions at the hill today", Prevc said. "I am really satisfied that I managed to remain focused and made some good jumps."

The Slovenian did admit she is capable of more, however. "I do still believe that I am able to jump better, and who knows what the result would have been if the conditions were better. I am a very impatient person so I was struggling with all the waiting today", Prevc said. Her teammate Ema Klimec (SLO) finished fourth (203.3).

Teenage star and 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games bronze medalist Ingvild Synnoeve Midstkogen (NOR) finished in sixth. A strong first jump (105.6) had put Midstkogen in third position, but she did not manage to secure a medal in her second appearance on the hill.

Selina Freitag (GER), who finished second and third at the first World Cup of the season in Lillehammer, landed in 17^th after two disappointing jumps which saw her score a total of 156.3 points.

Up next...

The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Zhangjiakou (CHN) continues on Sunday 15 December. While the women compete in China, the men jump in Titisee-Neustadt (GER) this weekend.