Germany's best ski jumper Katharina Althaus is ready for the challenge of ski flying. The 26-year-old from the Allgäu won the World Cup jumping in Lillehammer on Wednesday after jumps on 131.5 and 125.5 meters and thus decided the dress rehearsal for the first flying competition in women's history on Sunday (10.00 a.m. / ARD and Eurosport) in Vikersund.

The distance hunt with flights that can go over 200 meters is of enormous importance for the jumpers around Althaus. "Dream" or "milestone" – these words come up again and again when the athletes or their coaches talk about the spectacular event. "Ski flying is the greatest thing you can do in ski jumping. We have waited so long now," said Althaus, who had won three gold medals at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica, Slovenia, the German Press Agency (dpa). The debut in the supreme discipline is the next logical development step on the way to sporting equality.

In Lillehammer, Althaus achieved her seventh victory of the season. "I always jump quite well here. The landscape here, that has something magical," she said in the ARD. In addition to Althaus, the Canadian World Champion Alexandria Loutitt and the Austrian Eva Pinkelnig, who had already been confirmed as the overall World Cup winner, completed the podium. Selina Freitag was also strong in fourth place.

The competition was massively influenced by the adverse wind conditions. Actually, the start was scheduled for 16.30 o'clock, after three postponements the jumping began at 18.00 o'clock. Shortly before the end of the second round, Eirin Maria Kvandal crashed. But the Norwegian apparently got off lightly and greeted the spectators in the run-out again.

With the victory on her favorite hill, Althaus also increased her chances of triumphing at the Raw Air Tour. There she is in second place in the overall standings with 1424.1 points, just behind the leading Slovenian Ema Klinec (1444.9). Selina Freitag ranks third with 1406.1 points. The winner of the Raw Air Tour will receive prize money of 40,000 euros, and second (15,000) and third (5000,<>) places will also be rewarded. The decision will be made on Sunday in Vikersund – in ski flying.