OUT OF THE GATE
Landing in the Record Books
Sarah Hendrickson jumps to historic first women’s World Cup title
as USA team claims nation’s cup By Eric Williams
Sarah Hendrickson
American Sarah Hendrickson, 17,
has had an epic season. In April, the
Park City, Utah, native learned that af-
ter a decade-long battle with the IOC,
women’s ski jumping would be added
to the 2014 Olympic program. In De-
cember she launched into the inaugu-
ral women’s World Cup season and
soon became the sport’s first World
Cup event winner.
Hendrickson went on to win eight
more competitions (by press time)
while setting several hill records and
taking three second-place finishes
on her way to becoming the first-ever
women’s World Cup overall ski jump-
ing champion, clinching the crystal
globe with first and second-place fin-
ishes in Zao, Japan, on March 3.
“I wanted to follow the path of Lindsey
Van, who won the first World Champi-
onship gold,” said Hendrickson of her
teammate’s influence. “I’m proud to
have achieved the first individual World
Cup victory and the first overall World
Cup title. I know that this is a historical
moment but I will need months or even
years to realize what it really means.”
Hendrickson follows in the footsteps
of fellow World Cup debut title winners
Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy and Ca-
nadian Nancy Greene, who became
first time alpine champions in 1967.
“This season is just a dream for me,”
said Hendrickson. “I never ever ex-
pected to be that strong in the first FIS
ladies’ ski jumping World Cup winter.
I felt a lot of pressure, but that’s why I
love ski jumping.”
In late February, Hendrickson added
to her impressive résumé with a silver
medal at the Junior World Champion-
ships in Erzurum, Turkey.
Hendrickson and her Women’s Ski
Jumping USA teammates also mathe-
matically clinched the first ever nation’s
cup title of the discipline on March 3
with a 574-point lead on Germany.
American women have jumped to 14
World Cup podiums this season.
