Norwegians Anna Odine Strom and Eirin Maria Kvandal went 1-2 in the inaugural Olympic women’s individual large hill contest at Milan Cortina 2026. Reigning world champion Nika Prevc of Slovenia was the heavy gold medal favorite but slid into 3rd with 271.5 points — a stagging 11.2 points behind silver medalist Kvandal.
Sweden’s Frida Westman finished off the podium in 4th.
“I sacrificed everything to be here. I worked so, so hard,” Westman said of placing 4th after recovering from an ACL injury that sidelined her for the 2023-2024 season. “It cost me a lot, but I am really proud of myself.”
The Norwegian ski jumpers were fierce competitors. All four Norwegians claimed the top four spots leading into the final round. Kvandal led the pack with 140.6 points, a full 3.9 points ahead of Strom. They were closely followed by Silje Opseth and Heidi Dyhre Traaserud, who finished 5th and 6th after losing their leads in the final.
“It feels unbelievable and to be able to stand here as a woman, jump on this large hill for the first time, it’s history being written and it’s about time,” Kvandal said.
Strom will be leaving these Games as the Olympic champion in both women’s normal and large hill, as well as with a silver medal in mixed team normal hill. Her final jump scored a jaw-dropping 148.1 points, bringing her combined score to 284.8 points.
“It’s incredible. The first [Olympic gold in normal hill] was amazing and I still can’t believe that. Now I have two,” Strom said. “We have worked so hard for this, pushing for this [inaugural large hill] competition and we actually got it. It’s so incredible we get to jump it and I am so happy.”