Anna Odine Stroem of Norway hoped for silver and ended up with gold in Olympic ski jumping

Norwegian Underdog Stroem Stuns Favorite to Claim Olympic Ski Jumping Gold

Anna Odine Stroem pulled off a stunning upset at the Winter Olympics in Predazzo, Italy on Saturday, capturing the women’s normal hill ski jumping gold medal that most experts had predicted would go to Slovenian favorite Nika Prevc.

The Norwegian jumper, who entered the competition believing she was competing for silver at best, delivered a consistent performance under intense pressure to edge out Prevc by just 1.1 points. Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama rounded out the podium, taking bronze.

“I didn’t jump in practice yesterday and I saw Nika was in a league of her own — as she usually is,” Stroem said during the post-event news conference. “So I thought we were all competing for silver here.”

The victory represents a remarkable comeback for Stroem, who suffered a serious knee injury in 2023. She has fought her way back to fourth place in the World Cup standings this season, while Prevc has dominated the circuit, holding a commanding lead over second-place Maruyama.

Heading into the final jump, the competition couldn’t have been tighter. Stroem held a narrow one-point lead over Prevc, with Maruyama just two-tenths of a point behind the Slovenian. As the leader after the first round, Stroem had the advantage of jumping last, immediately after Prevc.

Describing the pressure of that moment, Stroem revealed her mindset as she sat at the top of the in-run. “I thought this is going to be hard,” she admitted. She focused on a mental checklist and looked down the hill at the green light marking the longest distance anyone had landed.

“I saw that green was very far down so I just thought I’ve got to get over that,” she recalled. Her final jump measured 101 meters (331 feet), good enough for a total score of 267.3 points that secured her victory.

“I’m going to be honest, I didn’t quite believe it until my teammates hugged me,” Stroem said.

For Prevc, the silver medal brought mixed emotions. Visibly tearful on the podium, the 19-year-old Slovenian star had entered the Games carrying enormous expectations as the reigning world champion and record holder for the longest women’s jump.

“Too much pressure had been put on me before the event,” Prevc acknowledged. Her coach, Jurij Tepes, pointed to two technical mistakes that ultimately cost her the gold medal.

Despite the disappointment, Prevc expressed satisfaction with her Olympic debut. “I’m very happy with my first Olympic medal,” she said. “My childhood dreams are coming true. Now I will continue and go on.”

The silver medal also carried historical significance for Prevc, who became the first sister to join brothers who have also won Olympic medals in ski jumping. Her brothers Peter (a four-time Olympic medalist) and Cene (team silver in Beijing) have established the Prevcs as ski jumping royalty.

The famous Slovenian family could make more Olympic history on Monday when brother Domen, who has also dominated this season’s competitions, competes in the men’s normal hill event. If he medals, it would mark the first time brother and sister ski jumpers have reached the podium at the same Olympics.

For Norway, Stroem’s gold represents only the second Olympic victory by a Norwegian woman since women’s ski jumping debuted at the 2014 Sochi Games. Maren Lundby previously won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

The victory also provides a welcome positive story for Norwegian ski jumping, which was embroiled in scandal at last year’s World Championships when coaches on the men’s team were caught tampering with ski suits to give their top competitors an advantage. The head coach and two staff members recently received 18-month bans from the sport, while two Norwegian male jumpers accepted three-month suspensions.

Asked about the controversy, Stroem made it clear the women’s team wasn’t implicated. “We have put that behind us now and tried to stick together and just work hard,” she said. “I hope that my performance here today can inspire the boys to do well.”

Both Prevc and Stroem will return to Olympic competition soon. They’ll participate in the mixed team event on Tuesday, with the women’s large hill competition scheduled for February 15, where Prevc will have another chance to showcase her talents against her Norwegian rival.