Superb Kvandal jumps to victory on second day in Sapporo

Norway’s Eirin Maria Kvandal led from start to finish to claim her first World Cup win of the 2024/25 season as she claimed victory on the second day of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Sapporo, Japan. Kvandal finished 20.4 points clear of Selina Freitag (GER), while Thea Minyan Bjoerseth (NOR) rounded out the podium.

A strong first round already gave Kvandal a 9.7-point lead after an impressive jump which saw her score 123.2 points. The 23-year-old continued her fine form in the final round, where she produced the best jump of the day (125.2 points and 136.5m) to land a combined total of 248.4 points.

It was Kvandal's second podium finish of the weekend after a third place on Saturday.

“It’s amazing”, Kvandal said. “It’s great to share it (the podium) with Thea (Minyan Bjoerseth, NOR) as well. Her second jump, I just heard it from the top , and I was so happy (for her).”

"I'm just very happy with my performance", Kvandal added. "I managed to figure out and improve my flying position today."

Just before her own final jump, Kvandal had to wait a few moments after a brief increase in the wind, but even that did not impact her. “Maybe a bit, but I managed to switch on and do a good jump nonetheless. I’m very happy.”

Kvandal finished 20.4 points clear of Germany’s Selina Freitag, who ended her personal streak of four fifth-place finishes.

After narrowly missing out on the podium on Saturday, Freitag took revenge a day later. Two strong jumps saw her score a combined total of 228.0 points, equalling her best career result. "I'm very happy with both of my jumps", Freitag said. "Hopefully, I can continue like that in Zao (Japan, next week)."

It’s Freitag’s third World Cup podium finish of the season after a third and second place in Lillehammer, Norway, in November.

Bjoerseth makes up for Saturday's crash

Thea Minyan Bjoerseth (NOR) joined Kvandal and Freitag on the podium: a great reward for what she's been through this weekend.

Bjoerseth looked well on her way to a podium finish on Saturday, but crashed on the landing of her second jump to only finish ninth.

A day later, Bjoerseth did not let the disappointment of Saturday get into her head. A stable first jump (108.0) led her to sixth place after round one, but Bjoerseth knew she was capable of much more.

An impressive second jump (118.7) saw her move up three spots to take third place with a combined total of 226.7 points to take her career-second World Cup podium finish.

"It was a nice day", Bjoerseth said. "I feel I'm very close with my jumps, and I'm especially very happy with my second one today. We had very good conditions and it was a very successful day for team Norway as such."

Jacqueline Seifreidsberger (AUT), who had performed the second-best jump in the first round (113.5), missed out on the podium after struggling with her second jump (106.3). The Austrian ski jumper landed in fourth (219.8 points).

Agnes Reisch (GER) finished in fifth, having moved up three spots thanks to a strong second jump to score a combined total of 213.8 points.

Prevc and Schmid outside the podium

2023/24 Crystal Globe winner Nika Prevc (SLO), who had topped the qualifications ranking earlier in the day, landed in sixth (210.5). Prevc sat in fourth after round one, but struggled a lot with her second jump (98.4) and therefore ended up missing the podium.

Triple world champion and World Cup leader Katharina Schmid (GER) had a mixed day of jumping. A disappointing first jump (91.9) saw her in eleventh before moving up to seventh place in the ranking.

Schmid maintains her lead in the Crystal Globe ranking, but saw Prevc get a little closer. The difference between the two is now 78 points.

Saturday’s winner and 2023 world champion Alexandria Loutitt (CAN) landed in twelfth (194.0 points). Loutitt, who qualified second, sat in fifth place after the first jump, but was not able to move up towards the podium in the second round.

Up next...

While the women compete in Japan, the men jump in Zakopane (POL) this weekend. Austria won the Men’s Team event on Saturday and the men will battle for individual glory on Sunday afternoon.

The women will compete again next week, when they head to Zao (Japan) for the next World Cup event.