Canadian ski jumper Alex Loutitt soars to World Cup gold in Japan

Canadian ski jumping sensation Alexandria Loutitt claimed her second career World Cup victory on Saturday with a gold medal in the women's large hill event in Zao, Japan, near Sapporo.

The Calgary native earned a total of 266.4 points to reach her first podium of the season with her parents on-hand to watch.

"I think my parents are my lucky charms. Every time my parents are at an event, I tend to do really well," Loutitt said in a press release.

Struggling to find her best this season, Loutitt found her mojo on Saturday. The 21-year-old led the competition by 2.4 points after the opening round with 129.2 points, before securing the win with a stellar second jump of 137.2.

"It's not a secret that I have struggled a lot this season, but coming back to my support system and my team has really helped me get things back together and on the right track," said Loutitt, who now has nine World Cup medals.

Loutitt became Canada's first-ever ski jumping world champion two years ago in the same event, which will make its Olympic debut at Milano-Cortina 2026 alongside the normal hill competition.

She spends the bulk of her year away from home since facility closures forced Ski Jumping Canada's national program to relocate to Planica, Slovenia three years ago.

Her first World Cup victory also came on the towers in Zao in 2023.

Canada's lady leapers also shocked the world at Beijing 2022 when they won Canada's first-ever Olympic medal in the sport in the mixed team event.

Strate was 19th on Saturday with 213.5 points, while Nicole Maurer, an aspiring astronaut from Calgary, was 26th with 180.7 points.

Another large hill event is set for Sunday.