Frida Westman finished fourth in the women's ski jumping large hill at the Olympics in Val di Fiemme. Despite past injuries and a weak start in the normal hill, the 25-year-old delivered strong jumps of 129.5 and 127.5 meters. It was close to a Swedish medal, just six points from bronze.
Frida Westman from Örnsköldsvik, who trains in Trondheim, has battled injuries for years, including six operations. In the Olympic normal hill premiere, she finished 42nd and missed the final. But in the large hill at Predazzo, the first time women competed in a large hill at the Olympics, she showed a comeback.
Westman jumped 129.5 meters in the first round and 127.5 meters in the second, securing fourth place. She was six points from bronze, taken by Slovenian Nika Prevc. Gold went to Norwegian Anna Odine Strøm and silver to Eirin Maria Kvandal. Westman's coach requested a lower starting gate to minimize injury risk, costing her about 11 points due to lower speed.
"It's like a win," Westman tells the press. "Incredible. It's completely fantastic. It means everything to me and for the future too." She describes it as one of the most important days of her life and hopes the performance inspires more young people to ski jumping.
Swedish ski jumping has lacked successes for years. The last Swedish Olympic medal was in 1952, when Karl Holmström won bronze. Westman's previous best was third place in a World Cup in Poland in 2022. She now aims for a medal at the home World Championships in Falun next year and gold at the next Olympics in the French Alps.
"Then it will be a medal," she says about the Worlds. "Then I'll take gold," she adds about the 2030 Olympics.
