2022/23 Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup Preview: Can Kramer Defend Her Title?

The 2017 World Cup – Image source: Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, via Wikimedia Commons

The 2022/23 Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup season has started already, athletes have competed in their first four events. In the women’s competition, Marita Kramer is the defending champion. And the Austrian ski jumper is among the top favorites again in the 2022/23 Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup preview. Along with the Slovenian duo of Urshan Bogataj and Nika Kriznar. But other German, Japanese and Norwegian athletes can also fight for the overall title. 

As we mentioned in our previous article, this will be the longest Ski Jumping World Cup season after it started in November and will only finish next March. Even though the women’s World Cup has fewer events, athletes will compete on 26 occasions. For the first time, women athletes will also compete on a flying hill in Vikersund next March. But no World Cup points will be awarded to the participants. The defending champion in the overall race is Austrian Marita Kramer, who is still only 21 years old. But she will face tough competition from other top jumpers like last year’s other podium finishers, Kriznar and Bogataj. Or the winner of the first few events in the new season, Althaus and Pinkelnig. 

The 2022/23 Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup Preview Favors Bogataj for the Overall Title

Ursa Bogataj finished third in the overall race last season after winning three normal hill events in the World Cup. It was the best World Cup result in her career, which she could even top in the 2022 Winter Olympics. As Bogataj won the gold medal both in the normal hill and the mixed team events. Now online sportsbooks in Slovenia offer the smallest odds, 2.75 for her overall victory. The 27-year-old champion didn’t have the best start to the new season. She finished outside the top 10 in the first two races and 5th and 9th in Lillehammer. The Slovenian needs to improve if she wants to win the title now. 

As the defending champion, Marita Kramer will do everything to keep her throne. The young Austrian has been very confident last season and won the overall title with 7 race wins. She also won the Silvester Tournament and finished second in the Alpenkrone. Kramer was the top favorite for the Olympic gold but she had to withdraw from the competition. We can find her in the top favorites again according to the 2022/23 Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup preview. With an odds of 3.50 to defend her title. After four events she is in third place in the overall standings thanks to her two podium finishes. 

Other favorites include German and Japanese athletes

Bogataj’s compatriot, Nika Kriznar is mentioned next on online gambling sites in Slovenia with an odds of 6.00. Last year’s runner-up is also the 2020/21 overall winner with a big chance of fighting for first place again. The 22-year-old Slovenian got the bronze medal in the Olympics and the gold medal as a member of the mixed team event. Kriznar needs to get better results too after finishing outside the podium in the first four events. Just like Sara Takanashi who finished fifth in last season’s overall standing. The 26-year-old athlete is one of the most successful women’s ski jumpers with four overall World Cup titles. She also has seven medals from the World Championships and a bronze medal from the 2018 Winter Olympics. 

Takanashi just missed the medal in Beijing this year after finishing fourth in both events. Her odds to get back to the top of the podium are 8.50. The same odds are offered for the overall victory of Katharina Althaus. She finished as a runner-up in the World Cup twice before. While she ended last season in fourth place. The German skier won her second individual Olympic silver medal in Beijing. She started the new season with a win in Lillehammer and a second-place finish in Wisla. Austrian Eva Pinkelnig had an even better start after finishing in the top three in all four events. The 34-year-old ski jumper’s best overall result has been a third-place finish in the 2019/20 season. Now her odds to win the title are 20.00 on 22Bet. 

Click here to visit the 22BET Sportsbook