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."

With their wins today, Strom and Prevc became the first female ski jumpers to win three Olympic medals. Each of their three medals were earned during these Games.

Prevc overcame a 3.5-point deficit from the first round, where she placed 5th, to claim her third medal. 

"I need to take pride in this medal, because my last jump shows that I am able to fight through all the stress and everything that’s happening to me," Prevc said. "I showed to myself I’m capable of these good jumps and this is how I can end this Olympic Games."

Germans Selina Freitag and Katharina Schmid, who headlined their country’s ski jumpers in the women’s contest alongside Agnes Reisch, were unable to find their groove. Schmid struggled on her first jump, finishing 42nd and not progressing to the final round — a shocking result for the four-time Olympian and two-time Olympic silver medalist. Freitag and Reisch finished 17th and 10th after making improved jumps in the final round.

"It is not the way I wanted the Olympic Games to end for me." Schmid said. "It is part of the sport but I think it will hurt for a while."

Japan, led by Nozomi Maruyama, finished 8th at best. Sara Takanashi, who boasts a 55-percent win rate at individual World Cup appearances, was unable to replicate her success in the Olympic individual events at Milan Cortina 2026.

American Paige Jones finished 28th. Teammate Josie Johnson had a strong first jump but placed 29th after not jumping in the final due to a knee injury. Annika Belshaw was reportedly disqualified due to her skis measuring approximately 1 centimeter (0.39 inches) over the International Ski Federation's specifications after jumping in the final round.

Women's Individual Large Hill Medalists
🥇 Anna Odine Strom (NOR)
🥈 Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR)
🥉 Nika Prevc (SLO)