Winter Olympics history beckons for Women’s Large Hill contenders

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Ski Jumping competition has already served up a litany of memorable moments and first-time successes. But on Sunday 15 February these Games will also write themselves into the sport’s Olympic history. The debut of the Women’s Large Hill Individual race is not only a first for the Games, but also means more medal events for female ski jumpers than at any previous Winter Olympics. So which athletes are shaping up to be the frontrunners for this milestone podium?

Arguably the favourite heading into the event is World Cup leader and World Champion Nika Prevc (SLO). The Slovenian has already won two Olympic medals at Milano Cortina 2026, adding an emotional Mixed Team gold alongside brother Domen to her individual silver on the Normal Hill.

“There is nothing better than sharing with my brother the most famous medal in the world,” she said. “The gold medal is something I have wanted since I started ski jumping. It is next level for me, really special.”

Prevc looked strong in both Official Training sessions in Predazzo, winning two of the six rounds with jumps of 134 m and 130.5 m. But the Slovenian faces tough competition from both Norway and Japan.

Anna Odine Stroem (NOR), who beat Prevc to Normal Hill gold, jumped 136 m in training. Her teammate Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR) is also finding form on the Large Hill — Kvandal topped the training standings three times with jumps of 130 m, 130.5 m and 132 m. Kvandal arrived at the Games fresh from a double World Cup victory in Willingen (GER).

“The World Cup in Willingen was really fun, and it was nice to show that my best jumps are at the level that I can fight with the top girls,” Kvandal said. “The Olympics is about medals, and even though the hills here are very different to Willingen, I am fighting for a medal.”

The longest training jump came from Yuki Ito (JPN), who landed 138 m to top the first round of training. The four-time Olympian — who had finished 17th on the Normal Hill in Predazzo — also posted further training jumps of 134.5 m and 131 m, suggesting she could contend on the Large Hill.

Ito’s teammates Sara Takanashi and Nozomi Maruyama, who helped Japan to Mixed Team bronze earlier at Milano Cortina 2026, were also consistently among the top trainers with jumps around the 125 m mark.

Other names to watch include Frida Westman (SWE), who logged training jumps of 128 m and 126 m; Lisa Eder (AUT), fourth on the Normal Hill; and Abigail Strate (CAN), whose best training marks were 127 m and 125.5 m.

The Women’s Large Hill action begins with the trial round at 17:35 CET before the race gets underway at 18:45 CET.