January 15, 2012 (Val di Fiemme, Predazzo, Italy) – Sarah Hendrickson put up two huge jumps on Sunday to win her fourth World Cup (WC) competition so far this season. She’s also leading the overall WC standings by more than 150 points over reigning World Champion and veteran Daniela Iraschko, of Austria.

And, by the way, she set a new hill record of 108 meters for women on the K95 hill at Val di Fiemme, site of the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships. “I love ski jumping. I just love it so much,” a smiling Hendrickson told reporters after her win.

The 17-year-old from Park City, Utah, is in “The Zone” — that magical place of unwavering confidence and superior performance that elite athletes in every sport strive to be. On Saturday, she bested the field and came from behind in the second round — leaping 107.5 meters — to beat Iraschko, who finished second.

“Now for Sarah, it’s simply amazing because she’s on top of the world and the strongest, but at the same time, she’s relaxed and happy and focused,” said International Coach Paolo Bernardi. “That’s where she needs to stay for the next competitions.”

The U.S. team is leading overall on the World Cup, boosted by Hendrickson’s domination of the top spot, and consistent podium, top-6 and top-10 performances by veterans Lindsey Van and Jessica Jerome. Alissa Johnson hit her mark Sunday finishing 15th and Abby Hughes, who’s been nursing a leg injury, has routinely made the top 25.

Van attributes the success so far to the fact that everyone on the team really loves to ski jump and is supportive of each other. “We all started ski jumping initially to have fun and staying focused on that is what keeps you going,” said Van, currently third in the WC standings behind Hendrickson and Iraschko. “With all we’ve been through in the past 10 years, we really love and appreciate what we do and now we can simply enjoy it.”

U.S. women ski jumpers and their international peers pushed for years to be included in the Olympic Winter Games and met that goal when the International Olympic Committee in April 2011 approved a women’s ski jumping event for the Sochi 2014 Games.

Competition continues next weekend. The women’s World Cup scheduled for Jan. 28-29 in Szczyrk, Poland, was cancelled for technical organizational reasons and the two events will now take place on Jan. 20 and 21 in Zakopane as Continental Cup (COC) competitions. The women will jump on the normal hill on Friday and Saturday at 10:30 am CET. At both COC’s, the prize money of a World Cup will be awarded to the athletes.

“We’re ready for the next competitions,” Hendrickson said. “Our results just show how strong we are and how well we compete. Every day is a new day and we enjoy this so much — we don’t let anything interfere with that.”

Full results HERE.
World Cup Standings HERE.

Results (brief)
Day 2 – Sunday, Jan. 15
Women’s Normal Hill, K95
(with wind system calculation)

1. Sarah Hendrickson, USA, (104.5, 108) 285.9
2. Daniela Iraschko, AUT, (96.5, 105.5) 273.1
3. Ulrike Graessler, GER, (100.0, 98.0) 250.8

6. Lindsey Van, USA, (94.0 97.0) 244.6
8. Jessica Jerome, USA (94.5 94.5) 242.3
15. Alissa Johnson, USA, (95.0 90.5) 227.9
24. Abby Hughes, USA (89.0 90.0) 207.5

Results
Day 1 – Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012
Women’s Normal Hill, K95
(with wind system calculation)

1. Sarah Hendrickson, USA, (105, 107.5) 277.2
2. Daniela Iraschko, AUT, (107.0 103.0) 275.5
3. Anette Sagen, NOR, (95.5 99.5) 248.1

4. Lindsey Van, USA, (103, 93.5) 244.4
6. Jessica Jerome, USA (96.5 94.5) 238.3
22. Abby Hughes, USA (83.5 87.0) 198.1
24. Alissa Johnson, USA (82.0 89.5) 194.1

Notes
• Saturday, Jan. 14 – Sarah Hendrickson set the Val di Fiemme hill record for the women’s World Cup with a jump of 107.5 meters.
• Sunday, Jan. 15 – Hendrickson broke her Saturday record with a jump of 108 meters on Sunday.
• Hendrickson is ranked 1st the World Cup standings; Lindsey Van is 3rd; Jessica Jerome is 9th; Alissa Johnson is 23rd; Abby Hughes is 29th.
• The Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team leads the World Cup standings followed by Germany and Austria.