Her face might have been bloodied and battered by her ski jumping stunt, but ski jumper Slje Opseth couldn’t stop smiling as reality dawned on her that she’d just set a new women’s world record.
After landing a 230.5-meter jump at a competition in Vikersund, Norway, an emotional Opseth put her head in her hands after her landmark ski jumping on Sunday.
Setting Records and Overcoming Adversity
The previous record was set at the same location last year, with Ema Klinec of Slovenia jumping 226 meters. Opseth’s day had started in the worst possible way after she had fallen on landing when jumping 236 meters in the trial run, according to organizers, with the incident leaving the ski-jumper with cuts to her face.
The seven-time World Cup winner managed to recover, though, and broke the world record with her final attempt.
“Long day and a little lost for words,” Opseth wrote on her Instagram story, with a picture of her face covered in plasters. “Ps. Medical check at the hospital tonight went well for those who wondered.”
A Journey of Passion and Determination
The new world record holder first fell in love with the sport in 2010 after attempting her first jump during a New Year’s celebration. Opseth went on to make her World Cup debut just five years later, and has represented Norway at two Winter Olympic Games, in 2018 and 2022.
On Sunday, the 24-year-old Opseth finished the first-ever Women’s Ski Flying World Cup in second, behind Norwegian teammate Eirin Maria Kvandal. Former world-record holder Klinec was in third.
