Ski jumping: German star crashes as Katharina Schmid returns to the podium

Katharina Schmid finally put Germany’s women back on the World Cup podium, taking third place at Engelberg. The seven‑time world champion delivered jumps of 127.0 m and 134.5 m, climbing from fifth after the first round to secure the German team’s first podium of the Olympic winter in the tenth competition of the season.

There was a scare for vice world champion Selina Freitag, who crashed after landing her second jump. Freitag had flown 138.0 m — the longest distance of the day — but fell on landing. She left the outrun on her own and later told ZDF that she felt fine: “I’m okay. I’ve had some practice falling. I fell well, so I’m not worried. The jump itself was good and that’s what matters.” Despite the crash, Freitag was classified ninth.

Slovenia’s world champion Nika Prevc claimed her fourth win of the season, beating Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm. Japan’s overall World Cup leader Nozomi Maruyama, who won her sixth event of the winter on Saturday, was hampered by difficult wind conditions and finished sixth. Germany’s Agnes Reisch also impressed in fourth.

The result eased comparisons with last year, when the DSV women had already collected four wins and nine podiums after ten events; in 2023/24 Schmid likewise delivered Germany’s first podium only at the tenth start. The women’s circuit now moves into the year‑end “Tournee light,” with competitions scheduled in Garmisch‑Partenkirchen (31 December) and Oberstdorf (1 January).