Calgarian Alex Loutitt proved again why she is one of Canada’s best ski jumpers after securing World Cup silver last week in Planica, Slovenia.
At just 20 years old, Loutitt posted a two-jump total of 242.1 points in the competition.
She finished just behind Austria’s gold medalist Eva Pinkelnig, who scored 244.9 points.
Nika Prevc of Slovenia could not close the gap between her and Loutitt, finishing third with 235.6 points.
Loutitt’s first jump of 100 metres(m) earned her 117.6 points and moved her to second place at the end of the first round, just 1.5 points behind Pinkelnig.
On her second jump, Loutitt covered 101.5m and received 124.5 points from the judges. Pinkelnig one-upped her with 125.8 points and skied away with first place.
Loutitt’s impressive second-place performance moved her into third place overall in the final World Cup standings and marked her seventh podium finish this season.
Loutitt last stood on the podium in January when she won bronze in Ljubno, Slovenia.
Her latest performance brought her subsequent podium dry streak spanning 13 races to an end.
Loutitt’s season highlights include six individual podium finishes comprising three silver and three bronze medals.
Pinkelnig ended the World Cup season in second place.
Meanwhile, Prevc finished first overall and earned the coveted Crystal Globe, awarded to the jumper with the highest accumulated score for the season.
A Team Player
In January, she also earned a silver medal in the team event alongside fellow Calgarian Abigail Strate in Japan.
Strate is another talented ski jumper. The 23-year-old earned four podium finishes this season, including two silver and two bronze medals.
She ranked 17th overall in the World Cup standings.
Loutitt and Strate’s silver medal marked Canada’s first-ever medal in the team competition. Together, the talented duo earned 709.7 points.
“It’s something special to be doing this together rather than individually. Nothing feels better than having someone to share your joy with,” Loutitt told the Canadian Press.
A Golden Future
Loutitt may not have won the Crystal Globe this season, but she still has her sights set on earning several in the next five years.
Her ultimate goal is an Olympic gold medal.
Loutitt’s Olympic medal collection includes a bronze in the inaugural mixed-team ski jumping event at Beijing in 2022.
Beijing 2022 was Loutitt’s Olympic debut. The bronze medal marked Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in ski jumping.
Loutitt is going to go far, literally. She holds the national record for the longest jump in Canadian history at 225 metres or more than two football fields.
She is one metre short of the women’s world record distance.
Loutitt is an inspiration to female athletes in Calgary and across the country.
The 2023-2024 World Cup season may be over, but Loutitt is just getting started.
