Loutitt makes Canadian women's ski jumping history by winning World Cup gold in Japan

Renowned Canadian ski jumper Horst Bulau checks the sport's webpages almost daily during the winter season to see how things are playing out on the international circuit.

When he booted up his computer on Friday, he was thrilled to see that Alexandria Loutitt had made Canadian ski jumping history.

Loutitt won gold in Zao, Japan, to become the first Canadian woman to reach the top of the World Cup ski jump podium. It was also the first time a Canadian ski jumper had won World Cup gold since Bulau's last title in 1983.

"I saw she was on top and I said, 'Whoa, that's amazing,'" Bulau said.

Loutitt finished first in the normal hill competition with 240.3 points after jumps of 98.5 and 95 metres.

"It feels totally surreal," she said in a release. "It was the best feeling to see the (No.) 1 next to my name. And I'm also very happy that I'm not the only strong Canadian. Our results show that it is not just pure luck."

Eva Pinkeling was second (231.8 points) and fellow Austrian Chiara Kreuzer was third (228.6). Abigail Strate of Calgary was 11th.

Bulau, a Canadian Sports Hall of Famer, won 13 World Cup events over his career. The 1979 world junior champ also finished seventh at the 1988 Calgary Games in one of four Olympic appearances.

The only other Canadian to win a World Cup ski jump gold was Steve Collins in 1980. Now Loutitt, a 19-year-old from Calgary, has joined them on an exclusive list.

"It was very pleasing and very exciting," Bulau told The Canadian Press from Woodbridge, Ont. "I guess there's always a little bit of shock that they were able to do it.

"It's challenging for them with the funding and everything that they have. It's going to give her a lot of confidence."

The Canadian ski jump team trains in Slovenia for most of the year. The squad has managed to get results of late despite limited funding and few domestic facilities.

Loutitt helped Canada win bronze last year in Beijing when mixed team ski jumping made its Olympic debut.

"Our sport is still alive here," Ski Jumping Canada co-chair Kelly Johansson said from Calgary. "We might not have the big jumps but we've found a way to get around that and we're getting some success.

"We have the ability to continue to grow athletes in Canada."

Loutitt, who only recently came back from an ankle injury, also had two fourth-place finishes earlier this season.

"If you look at her results, it has kind of been a meteoric rise to the top," said Ski Jumping Canada co-chair Mike Bodnarchuk. "So we're extremely proud and we're ecstatic.

"It's a great day in Canadian sport."

The last Canadian to reach the World Cup women's ski jump podium was Calgary's Taylor Henrich, who had two third-place finishes in 2015.

Loutitt, who started ski jumping at age nine, made her international debut during three years ago at the FIS Cup level.

"She's just a natural born ski jumper," Bodnarchuk said. "It's just incredible to see."

Loutitt earned a pair of top-10 finishes last week in Sapporo, Japan. A World Cup team event was scheduled for Saturday and another normal hill event was set for Sunday.

Bulau said he sent Loutitt a congratulatory message after her historic win.

"Once you win once, you know how to do it," Bulau said. "The next time it might come a little bit easier and your confidence level grows."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2023.

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