– A day beyond all expectations. I felt it yesterday, that I might have some opportunities, but I felt that it was too much to expect. I’ve been so unstable and considering everything that’s been the last two years, so … I was really just here to participate. It’s great fun, says a moved and tearful Maren Lundby to news. After a ground record in the first round and a soar of 133 meters in the final round, Lundby was able to celebrate his first individual medal since the last World Cup, two years ago in Oberstdorf. It has been quite a journey for Lundby, who had not budgeted for a medal in Planica. Since the success two years ago, he struggled with weight problems and stood over the Olympic season to get to the competition weight in a proper way. She has been praised for her openness – and has now fought her way back to the top. – When you’ve had it so hard, did you think this would work? – No, not always, says Lundby as the tears roll. – It is quite unreal after everything that has happened in the last two years. I’ve had a pretty rough road back, so standing here with a silver medal is much more than I had hoped and dreamed of, she says. BACK ON THE PODIUM: Maren Lundby celebrates the silver medal in Wednesday’s big hill race. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB Canadian sensation 254 points only almost qualified for gold for Lundby, but the silver medal tastes very good anyway after some demanding years. She was only beaten by Canadian Alexandria Loutitt, who took the gold with 264.4 points. The two were in a shared lead after the first half and jumped for the gold right to the end. Lundby gave her faith in Norwegian gold when she stepped off the edge of the jump as second last in the final round, but a brilliant jump by Loutitt as the very last to jump out ensured a historic, Canadian gold. Without that dampening the mood in the Norwegian jumping camp. – This was really a gold. It feels that way, at least, says national team manager Christian Meyer to news. For the recent world champion Loutitt, it was great to take the gold ahead of Lundby. She describes her as a role model. – It is not to be believed. We shared the lead after the first half and it was someone I grew up looking up to. When I grew up, I thought I want to be like her. Beating her in competition is unimaginable. She had so much respect for me when I did it, so it was absolutely incredible, says Loutitt to news. Her gold must be called a sensation. Canada has never before taken WC gold in jumping and the 19-year-old has only won once in the World Cup before. – Today there were actually two world champions. One who gets a silver medal and one who gets a gold medal. It is fantastic what Maren has done. In a great show jumping race, Canada takes its first World Cup title ever. A great day for show jumping and a very great day for Norwegian show jumping. Not least for Maren Lundby, who shows the way to a far greater extent than any other ski jumper has done before her, says Clas Brede Bråthen to news after the silver medal was in the box. This is Lundby’s tenth WC medal, and the tributes are pouring in: – I’m not sure if anything like this has been done before. It is simply absolutely fantastic. I’m not going to go into the story behind it, because I don’t think it’s a good thing to talk about now, says Meyer. – It is completely, completely wild. Damn it. I wish Maren this very much. She has worked very hard and it is well deserved, quite simply. It’s hard to see that it’s going well, because that commands respect, says Silje Opseth. – It is very impressive. It really just shows how good Maren is as a performer. She is very dedicated and has worked very hard for it. It’s fun to be here with her when she does things like this, says Anna Odine Strøm. You can read more about the way back here: Bakkerekord – I thought “damn you”. It was an absolutely insane height I had all the way down. Fuck you, I’ve never gone so high in my life before, said Maren Lundby to news after the monster jump in Planica. – This is what I have worked for. It’s amazing, she added. In glorious conditions, Lundby soared 139.5 meters before she landed. The speed was great, the length long, but the impact not perfect. This had an impact on the style grades. But the jump was approved, even though it looked like Lundby’s right hand – as far as it was – touched the ground. See the record jump here: The wild jump not only gave the lead, it is also a new ground record for the women in Planica. The old record, set by Polish Kinga Rajda in 2019, was 134 metres. It now belongs to Lundby. After the jump, Lundby clenched his fists and cheered, but then came out more disappointed when the style marks came. – We are still shaking up here, said national team coach Christian Meyer to news after Lundby’s flight. Before the final round, Lundby shared the lead with Canadian Alexandria Loutitt. She jumped 134.5 meters with lower speed, worse conditions, but with better style marks. Lundby received 45 style points, against 48 for Loutitt. German Katharina Althaus, who was the favorite before the race, also mixed in at the top, but 128 meters in the final round was not enough for the German, who took the bronze medal. Three Norwegians in the top ten It is Lundby who steals the headlines with his silver medal, but overall it was a good Norwegian day in Planica: Anna Odine Strøm finished in 5th place, while Thea Minyan Bjørseth came in eighth and ensured that there were three Norwegian women among the top ten. Silje Opseth finished in 16th place.
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– More than I had hoped and dreamed of – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
