Latest news with #Strate
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Abigail Strate up blossoming on grand prix ski-jumping circuit after another bronze Sunday
Article content WISLA, Poland — Canada's Abigail Strate is not shy to admit that she enjoys the summer sun but has never found her mojo on ski jumping towers around the world when the flowers are in full bloom during the Summer Grand Prix season. Article content That has all changed over the last two weeks as the 24-year-old ski jumping rockstar is blossoming herself in the air. Article content The Calgarian landed on the bronze-medal step of the podium in Wisla, Poland with 116.4 points on Sunday. Article content Article content 'I'm a summer person, for sure,' Strate said. 'I like the sun and have always liked jumping in the summer. The last time I jumped well in the summer, it carried into the whole year, so hopefully this is a good omen for me.' Article content Article content Slovenia's Nika Prevc completed the golden sweep in Poland, winning with 126.2 points. Japan's Nozomi Maruyama topped Strate for the silver with 117.5 points. Canada's Nicole Maurer placed 26th. Article content The world's best women's leapers have competed in a new spectator-friendly format each of the last two Sunday's. In the first round, athletes jumped in groups of five with the top two in each group advancing to the second round. Each of the top 20 competitors who headed back to the top of the hill started with zero points for the second round. Article content No matter the format, Canada's Strate is prepped and ready to soar. Article content 'Right now, it feels a bit similar to when I got the (three straight) World Cup podiums, but it doesn't feel as unexpected,' she said. 'I know the jumps are good and I feel confident they will keep being good. It's not just happening in competition. I'm also always in the top three or four right now in official training and qualifications.' Article content Article content Strate has flown into a new stratosphere over the last two weekends while racking up four straight podium finishes including her first-ever victory, to go along with three bronze medals. She is only the second Canadian ski jumper to ever medal in two straight events on back-to-back weekends. Her 2022 Olympic bronze medal-winning teammate, Alex Loutitt, rattled off four straight bronze medals on the 2023 Summer Grand Prix. Article content 'In my heart, this is so fun, and I have many positive emotions,' added Strate. 'It feels great for me now, but I know this isn't when I want to be great. I really hope this can last until the start of the winter and through the season.' Article content Strate's new approach into her flight path this season towards the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in February is paying off. Article content 'I feel like I'm approaching the jump in a different way. I'm seeing the jump as a whole now, so it is a different mental approach. I do lots of visualization and mental preparation, so by the time I attempt the jump I feel like I have done it 10 times already,' said Strate.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Calgary's Abigail Strate wins bronze at ski jumping Summer Grand Prix in Poland
WISŁA – Canadian ski jumper Abigail Strate won bronze for her fourth consecutive medal on the Summer Grand Prix on Sunday. The 24-year-old from Calgary landed on the podium with 116.4 points, while Slovenia's Nika Prevc captured gold (126.2) and Japan's Nozomi Maruyama (117.5) took silver. 'I'm a summer person for sure. I like the sun and have always liked jumping in the summer,' said Strate, who's also a graphic designer. 'The last time I jumped well in the summer, it carried into the whole year so hopefully this is a good omen for me.' Calgary's Nicole Maurer, the only other Canadian in the deep field, finished 26th. Strate, who won a bronze medal in the mixed team ski jumping event at the 2022 Olympics, became the second Canadian ski jumper to medal in two straight events on back-to-back weekends, joining teammate Alex Loutitt. Strate opened the Olympic campaign two weekends ago with a bronze medal in France. It was her first career summer ski jumping podium. She delivered a golden encore, celebrating her first international victory a day later, before earning another bronze in Poland last weekend. 'In my heart, this is so fun, and I have many positive emotions,' she said. 'It feels great for me now, but I know this isn't when I want to be great. I really hope this can last until the start of the winter and through the season.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2025.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Three straight for Calgary's Abigail Strate, as ski jumper scores another grand-prix medal
Article content WISLA, Poland — Make it three podiums in a row for Canadian ski jumper, Abigail Strate, on the Summer Grand Prix. Article content The colourful Canuck from Calgary soared to the bronze medal Saturday — her third medal in as many competitions — in the women's large hill test in Wisla, Poland. Article content 'I was feeling a little nervous up there on the first jump — I was just trying to focus on the things my coaches told me to do,' said the 24-year-old Strate. 'I actually wasn't very satisfied with either of the jumps. I was a little messy on the takeoffs, but they still worked out and got me on the podium Article content Article content Article content Slovenia's Nika Prevc was first at 247.9, while Japan's Nozomi Maruyama landed on the silver-medal step of the podium at 240.5 points. Article content Nicole Maurer, who also hails from Calgary, was the only other Canadian in the deep field and placed 19th at 156.3. Article content Strate has been soaring with confidence early this season. She opened the Olympic campaign last weekend with a bronze medal in France. It was her first career summer ski-jumping podium. She delivered a golden encore, celebrating her first international victory one day later. Article content 'I'm definitely flying with greater confidence,' Strate said. 'I knew I was training really well. My jumping has been progressing and is more consistent, so I think my whole jump is more confident than it's ever been. Each one of these successes builds on that. I'm loving ski jumping, and ski jumping is loving me right now, so the confidence just grows with each jump I take that works out. I am looking to keep it going.' Article content Article content Strate is taking a new approach this season into her flight path that is headed towards the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in February. Article content 'I decided this year I'm leaving nothing out,' said Strate, who was part of Canada's Olympic bronze-medal winning squad in the mixed-team event in 2022. 'I'm putting everything I have into this season. Subconsciously, I think I always held myself back a bit, but I'm looking to crack into my full potential this year and leave nothing out there. I'm taking that approach every day. I'm happy with the result and looking to improve the quality of the jumps again (Sunday).' Article content This is the second time in her career that Strate has rattled off three podium performances in a row. Article content She flew to three consecutive podium performances in 2023-24, closing out 2023 with a bronze and silver medal before ringing in the 2024 new year with another bronze. The only other podium finish in Strate's eight-year career came when she won the bronze in Hinterzarten, Germany, in January 2023. Three of Strate's four medals in winter leaping have also come on large hills.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Calgary's Abigail Strate earns bronze at ski jumping Summer Grand Prix in Poland
WISŁA – Calgary's Abigail Strate won her third consecutive medal on the Summer Grand Prix on Saturday, earning bronze in the women's large hill test in Wisla, Poland. Strate, a graphic designer when not taking flight off hills around the world, racked up 231.4 points in her two attempts. Slovenia's Nika Prevc won gold at 247.9, while Japan's Nozomi Maruyama earned silver with 240.5 points. Calgary's Nicole Maurer was the only other Canadian in the deep field, finishing 19th at 156.3. Strate opened the Olympic campaign last weekend with a bronze medal in France. It was her first career summer ski jumping podium. She delivered a golden encore, celebrating her first international victory a day later. She will launch off the HS134 hill in Poland with the best in the world once again on Sunday. This is the second time in her career that Strate has had three consecutive podiums. She closed out 2023 with a bronze and silver medal before ringing in 2024 with another bronze. The only other podium finish in Strate's eight-year career came when she won the bronze in Hinterzarten, Germany in January 2023. Three of Strate's four medals in winter leaping have also come on large hills. Ski jumping is performed in the summer on an in-run where the tracks are made from porcelain and the grass on the slope is covered with water-soaked plastic. A core part of an athlete's development and season-long competition schedule, summer ski jumping began in 1994 for men. Women began jumping competitively during the summer months in 2012. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2025.
Calgary Herald
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
'I was balling my eyes out' on podium: Calgary's Abigail Strate soars to first international ski-jumping victory
Article content COURCHEVEL, France — Calgary ski jumper Abigail Strate landed on the top step of the international podium for the first time in her career on Sunday. Article content One day after flying to her first-ever podium on the Summer Grand Prix circuit, the 24-year-old claimed her first victory on the large HS135 hill with 108.8 points. Article content 'It is a little upgrade from yesterday,' Strate, who captured bronze on Saturday, said with a laugh. 'I'm still kind of overwhelmed with everything going on. I've never heard the Canadian anthem played on the podium for myself, so I was balling my eyes out. It was really good today. I'm so happy.' Article content Article content It was Canadian ski jumping's first win in Courchevel since Alexandra Pretorius triumphed in 2012 at the Summer Grand Prix. A foursome of young Canadian leapers including Strate, and fellow Calgarians Alex Loutitt, Nicole Maurer and Natalie Eilers have been rewriting the history books. Article content Article content Strate topped a deep field on Sunday to once again have the opportunity to hear O Canada played at the medal ceremony in the French resort. The talented artist in the air, and also while doing her graphic design profession, edged Germany's Selina Freitag for the gold medal by .5 points. Japan's Nozomi Maruyama finished third with 105.5 points. Article content 'Standing on the podium, I was just looking for my team in the crowd. Seeing them happy is extra fulfilling because I know how hard the coaches work for all of us and how hard each of us work too,' added Strate. 'I've been close (to winning) a bunch of times, but I always seem to have found a way to mess it up. It was a great feeling today, knowing you are doing your job for the day, and I couldn't do anything better. It is amazing.' Article content Article content The world's best women's leapers competed in a new spectator-friendly competition format on Sunday. In the first round, athletes jumped in groups of five with the top two in each group advancing to the second round. Each of the top-20 competitors who headed back to the top of the hill started with zero points for the second round. Article content All three Canadian women who suited up on the weekend made it to the final. Loutitt, who claimed Olympic bronze in the mixed-team event in 2022 alongside Strate, finished in eighth spot with 83 points. Maurer placed 17th at 52.2. Article content 'I feel like I have to like (this new format),' laughed Strate. 'There was some stress from everyone, but I like they are trying some different things to make the competitions more exciting for fans to watch.' Article content Article content Strate, who was also leading after the first round in Saturday's competition before she settled for the bronze medal, is no stranger to flying to the international podium in bunches.
