Norway's Anna Odine Stroem won gold in the women's normal hill ski jumping at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, ahead of Slovenia's favorite Nika Prevc who took silver, and Japan's Nozomi Maruyama who claimed bronze. Stroem sealed the victory with a 101-meter jump in the final round, finishing with 267.3 points just 1.1 ahead of Prevc. The event took place in Predazzo, Italy, on February 8, 2026.
At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 8 in Predazzo, Italy, Norway's 27-year-old Anna Odine Stroem claimed gold in the women's normal hill ski jumping event. Stroem led after the first round with a 100-meter jump, one point ahead of Slovenia's Nika Prevc, and sealed the win with 101 meters in the final round for a total of 267.3 points, edging Prevc by 1.1 points to give Norway its first gold of the Games. Japan's Nozomi Maruyama secured bronze, 5.5 points behind Stroem.
The 20-year-old Prevc entered as the favorite, topping the World Cup standings this season and last, but a 98-meter first jump in windy conditions proved costly, leaving her with silver. Prevc hails from a prominent ski jumping family: her brother Peter won gold in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022, and Cene took silver in the team event there. Brother Domen is set to compete in the men's normal hill on Monday, potentially making history as the first brother-sister duo to medal at the same Olympics.
Stroem told Reuters, "It feels amazing. Actually, I can't believe it to have the gold medal around my neck." She added, "There was so much work put towards this from me and my teammates... I didn't quite believe it until my teammates hugged me." Prevc reflected, "I still need some time to think about what was going on today... I'm very happy with my first Olympic medal. My childhood dreams are coming true." She noted the pressure of being the favorite but looked forward to the mixed team and large hill events.
The top American finishers were Annika Belshaw in 21st and Paige Jones in 23rd. Windy conditions played a key role in the competition's outcome.
