O Canada! Our home and native ski jumping land

02. 03. 2023

O Canada! Our home and native ski jumping land

At the 43rd FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Canada surprisingly won its first medal. Alexandria Loutitt was the best in the women's ski jumping event on the large hill, despite facing tough competition.

The 19-year-old from Calgary, where ice hockey is the top sport and women's ski jumping comes a distant second, is also the winner of a World Cup event in Japan. After the first round, she was tied for the lead with the very strong Maren Lundby of Norway. Despite the intense competition, as Lundby had just produced an excellent jump, Loutitt withstood the pressure, made a long jump in the second round, and made history as the athlete who became the junior and senior world champion in women's ski jumping in the same competition year. Lundby took the second place, failing to defend her championship title from the Oberstdorf championships. Katharina Althaus took the third place on the podium, securing at least one medal in all competitions she participated in at Planica. The German skier has three gold and one bronze medal.

No one can stop Norwegian's

The men's cross-country skiing race was dominated by Norwegian athletes, who took the first four places. Simen Hegstad Kruger, who also won gold in the skiathlon, claimed the title of champion, his second at the 43rd FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica. Fourth best Norwegian was Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who narrowly missed out on the bronze medal, which he still lacks at the Planica championship. Harald Oestberg Amundsen took second place, while Hans Christer Holund, the champion from Oberstdorf, finished third.

Norway oun's Nordic Combined

The Norwegian team dominated the competition in the men's team 4 x 5km race and won the title of world champion. Espen Andersen, Jens Luraa Oftenro, Joergen Graabak, and Jarl Magnu Riiber continued their confident performance in Planica. The order of the top three at the last three FIS World Championships has been the same, with Germany finishing second and Austria coming in third. The home team, Slovenia, finished last in 11th place.

The female Cross-Country skiers go for another set of medals

Thursday will be a day of skiing and ski jumping competitions in the valley beneath the Ponce Mountains. The women will compete in a 4 x 5km relay race starting at 12:30.

Ski jumpers will have their qualifications before the main event on the large hill on Saturday. The first jumper will start at 5:30 pm.

Norway is in a class of its own in medal tally

Last night, six sets of medals were awarded at the Medal Plaza, three in ski jumping, two in cross-country skiing, and one in Nordic combined.
Jessie Giddins received the gold medal for her outstanding performance in the 10km free race, breaking the dominance of the Swedes in Planica.
In the men's 15km race, Simen Hegstad Kruger defeated all of his competitors and recieved his second gold medal in Kranjska Gora.

In the Nordic combined HS138/4x5km team event, the Norwegians achieved their third consecutive victory at the World Championships.

After the official awards ceremony, there was a 45-minute break, followed by the presentation of the gold FIS snowflake to Piotr Zyla for his victory on the normal hill. The best competitors in the mixed team event were also presented on the podium. In addition to Germany and Norway, the Slovenian representatives also received the bronze medal. Lastly, the female ski jumpers were recognized for their efforts on the large hill, with the gold medal going to first Canadian Ski Jumping World Champion Alexandria Loutitt.

You may not know...

  • Janne Ahonen, who now works as a commentator for Finnish television after retiring from Ski Jumping, became a World Champion on the large hill only once. He has a total of three individual medals and six team medals from the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships.
  • The most successful athlete in terms of gold medals at FIS World Championships is Norwegian Petter Northug, who has won 13. Bjørn Dæhlie remains the cross-country skier with the most FIS snowflakes, with a total of 17, one more than his compatriot Northug.
  • Journalists in the press center in Planica drink more than 65 liters of coffee per day.

Accompanying Programme

02.03. | 10:00 | VIP tent

• BUSINESS CONFERENCE in cooperation with SPIRIT

03.03. | 16:00 | Media Centre, Planica

• Sport education for young people
Guests:
Dr- Gregor Jurak, Full Professor at the University of Ljubljana – Faculty of Sport, Head of the SLOfit Research Group
Mirjam Bizjak, Headmistress of the France Prešeren Grammar School in Kranj, where students can also study in the sports department of the Grammar School
Cene Prevc, former ski jumper with a silver medal in the team competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, SLOfit ambassador

Entertainment & Ceremonies

02.03. | 12:00 | Fun Arena, Planica

• Animation & Smooth Band

| 19:00 | Trg Zmagovalcev, Kranjska Gora

• Concert Ansambel Saše Avsenika

03.03. | 12:00 | Fun Arena, Planica

• Animation & Smooth Band

| 20:23 | Medal Plaza, Kranjska Gora

Medal Ceremony

Cross-Country relay M & W

| 21:20 | Medal Plaza, Kranjska Gora

• Concert Pero Lovšin in Španski borci

04.03. | 12:00 | Fun Arena, Planica

• Animation & Veseli Begunjčani

| 20:23 | Medal Plaza, Kranjska Gora

• Medal Ceremony
Ski Jumping Men HS138
Ski Jumping Men HS138 team
Cross-Country Women 30km C
Nordic combined Men HS138/10km

| 21:20 | Medal Plaza, Kranjska Gora

• Concert Siddharta

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