LILLEHAMMER - Calgary's Abigail Strate won the silver medal in the women's large hill competition Saturday at the season-opening event of the World Cup ski jump circuit.

The 24-year-old fought tricky conditions to land jumps of 129 and 121 metres for a two-heat total of 259.7 points.

Nozomi Maruyama of Japan was first with 285.5 points, while Austria's Lisa Eder was third with 255.4.

Strate won her sixth World Cup medal and matched her career-best performance. She also won silver at a World Cup event in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Jan. 1, 2024.

The women's large hill competition will make its Olympic debut at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

Strate is Canada's main Olympic hopeful in ski jumping after 2023 world and world junior women's champion Alex Loutitt suffered a season-e

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