The Holeværingen jumper was number seven after the first round after a flight of 116.5 metres. In the final round, she followed up with a formidable 131 metres. No one could match that.
Germany’s Selina Freitag followed closest. She was beaten by six tenths. Third place went to Raw Air leader Ema Klinec.
– I didn’t see that coming, said a grinning Opseth on the plain when the victory was a fact.
– I’m still a bit in a state of shock. Damn how good this tastes, she explains to NTB.
The 23-year-old has a tough period behind him. Monday’s victory was her fourth in the World Cup this season. The first three came early in the season, and subsequently Opseth has struggled to find form.
The recently concluded Planica WC was thus not a good experience. Afterwards, the Holeværingen jumper described the experience as a failure. In an interview during NTB, she also slaughtered her own season and announced a merciless evaluation after the season is over.
[ Hopp-Bråthen fyrer løs mot arrangøren etter utsettelse ]
Didn’t dare think
On Monday, the 23-year-old was back on top of the podium.
– There have been very deep valleys. I’ve been way down. At times I have thought that I cannot win show jumping anymore, says Opseth to NTB.
Recently, the arrows have been pointing in the right direction.
– I have felt that I have taken steps in the right direction, but have focused on my work tasks. That’s why I didn’t dare to think that something like this could happen, says Opseth.
The victory helps to build self-confidence ahead of the upcoming races in Raw Air. This coming weekend there will be a finish at the ski flying slope in Vikersund.
– If I am in the top 15 overall, the plan is to jump there. So far I haven’t been within that limit, so we’ll see, says Opseth.
[ Syk Granerud snublet i finaleomgangen: – Jeg har hatt det helt fryktelig ]
Kvandal was in trouble
Eirin Maria Kvandal made a solid first jump of 124 meters and led ahead of the final round in Monday’s race. There she couldn’t quite follow up. 119.5 meters held to seventh place.
The Mosjøen girl did not impact the landing in any of her jumps and was pulled by the style judges for that. National team coach Christian Meyer also asked for a reduced speed for Kvandal before the final jump. It was done to give the national team jumper security.
Kvandal has almost two years of injury nightmares behind him after a nasty fall in February 2021.
Anna Odine Strøm was sixth after the first lap at Lillehammer on Monday, but was unable to follow up. 118.5 meters gave a slightly disappointing 12th place.
[ Strøm klatret opp på pallen i Holmenkollen ]
Downturn for Lundby
Maren Lundby had high expectations for the chutes in Lysgårdsbakken, where she has completed a large number of training jumps. However, 112.5 meters in the first half was a long way from what the jumping queen from Bøverbru had hoped for.
In the second half, it was 113 metres. She thus ended the day in 14th place.
Thea Minyan Bjørseth had big problems in her first jump. 95.5 meters was far from her top level and ended up costing her the final round. The Lensbygda jumper finished in a disappointing 32nd place.
Nora Midtsundstad did not succeed at Lillehammer either. She landed at a weak 91 meters and, like Bjørseth, had to look far to jump the final round.
[ Så kom det første Kollen-rennet Norge IKKE vant ]
Stated sports director
Snow led to the start of the race at Lillehammer having to be postponed for just over half an hour. This caused showjumping manager Clas Brede Bråthen to criticize the organisers.
– Unfortunately, the ground is not as standard as it should be when a World Cup race is to be jumped. It’s very sad when we actually have perfect relationships. We have most everything in place, just not a clear jumping hill, he told TV 2.
The show jumping manager believed that the snowy weather could not come as a surprise.
– At least I saw in the weather forecast that there was going to be snow. We should have been prepared for this. It has happened before. It’s a shame when the learning curve is so flat, Bråthen said.