Women’s ski jumping finally made it into in the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Here’s how to watch when the women return to the normal hill in Pyeongchang.
Eight years ago, women’s ski jumping fought in vain to get included on the program for the Vancouver Olympics. While female flyers failed to win the case in Canada, however, it open the eyes of the world and opened the door for the event’s eventual inclusion on the program four years later in Sochi.
What we learned is that, when it comes to ski jumping, women could definitely compete on an equal level with men. Carina Vogt won the first-ever women’s Olympic gold medal in ski jumping. One of her two jumps in the finals went 103.5 meters. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz took silver, including a jump that went 104.5 meters.
For comparison, Kamil Stoch — the men’s gold medalist on the normal hill in Sochi — went 105.5 meters and 103.5 meters on his two jumps. As women catch up further, we could soon see the day when a women’s Olympic champion finishes with a higher overall score than the men’s champion on the same hill.
So how will things play out in Pyeongchang?
Vogt, the defending Olympic champion, is on strong form yet again. On her two training rounds, Vogt’s jump was among the three best of that round. She elected to sit out the third training jump.
But while Vogt is on good form and could defend her Olympic gold medal, she will be challenged most heavily by Norway’s Maren Lundby. The Norwegian currently leads the FIS World Cup standings and has won seven of the 10 events so far this season. In the other three, Lundby was second on the podium.
Other women who could threaten for a podium spot include Katharina Althaus. She has already taken up the mantle of the top German women’s ski jumper from Vogt in the World Cup, and could also do so at the Olympics.
Watch out as well for Japan’s Sara Takanashi, who had the best jump in the first training session and looks solid in Pyeongchang.
Next: What’s the difference between Ski Jumping & Freestyle Skiing?
Here’s how you can watch the Olympic women’s normal hill online.
Date: Monday, Feb. 12
Time: 7:50 a.m. ET
Location: Pyeongchang, South Korea
Venue: Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre — normal hill
Live Stream: NBC Olympics, FuboTV
Keep it tuned in here are we bring you the latest live streams and updated results for each ski jumping event over the course of the 2018 Winter Olympics.