Abigail Strate won her first World Cup. © AFP / JENS SCHLUETER

The new year brings surprises.

The women's ski jumping World Cup started the new year with a surprising result.

01 January 2026

From: apa/det

Canadian Abigail Strate celebrated her first World Cup victory in Oberstdorf on Thursday, while Zeng Ping secured the first World Cup podium finish for a Chinese woman. Slovenian Nika Prevc finished fourth behind Germany's Selina Freitag and won the overall Two Nights Tour title.

Changing and challenging wind conditions made things difficult for the jumpers. Prevc, who had been outstanding the previous day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, just barely made it into the final round with a jump of 105 meters. She improved her position to fourth place (256,6 points) with the longest jump in the second round (128,5 meters) and secured her third overall victory in the third edition of the two-day competition. With 527,7 points, she won the overall standings ahead of Freitag (505,3) and Japan's Nozomi Maruyama (496,9).

Nika Prevc won the tour. © ANSA / ANNA SZILAGYI

Strate secured a dominant victory for the day. The Canadian won with 268,2 points (136 m/116 m), ahead of Zeng, who celebrated a historic success on her 21st birthday with 257,7 points (126,5/126,5), and Freitag (257,3 – 128/118). Annika Sieff was the only Italian to appear in the final standings: the Azzurra finished in 22nd place.

The Two Nights Tour, featuring competitions on the two German ski jumps in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf, was held for the third time. Next year, the format is to be replaced by a Four Hills Tournament for women.