Ski jumpers, by the very nature of their sport, are accustomed to ups and downs. However, Canadian Abi Strait has had a summer where she has experienced some of the highest highs of her career, as well as some heartbreaking lows.
The 24-year-old ski jumper from Calgary was a force at the 2025 Summer Grand Prix, scoring five podium finishes, including a victory at the ski jumping ground that will host the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
But that success was overshadowed when she lost friend and teammate Alex Loutitt to injury during September's Olympic test event in Predazzo, Italy.
“I think the whole team was in shock. I mean, I was at the top of the hill when she crashed and I saw her get up and walk away, so I thought, 'Hey, we're good, we're clean.' She may be a little injured, but… it won't end her season,” Streit said. “Then down below [of the hill] they told me it was probably her knee and I was just shocked.
“So sad. Terrible, terrible time for an injury, right before the Games. It was tough. I was heartbroken for her.”
Streit and Luititt, along with Mackenzie Boyd-Close and Matthew Soukup, were part of the historic foursome that won an Olympic bronze medal in Canada's mixed team event in Beijing in 2022.
The surprise medal seemed to be a sign of things to come as both women regularly made World Cup podiums in the lead-up to Milan-Cortina. Streit attributed this success to how he and Loutitt supported each other at every competition.
“We kind of always bounced off each other,” Streit said. “If I was doing well and she maybe wasn't having a great day… it's easier to deal with. If I had an off day but Ellie went and did really well, then my day off doesn't feel like such a bad day because the team still has something to eat.”
“Feeling more pressure on me”
Streit still has medal hopes this season and the pressure that comes with them, but she will have to deal with it all without Lautitt, who has undergone knee surgery and will miss the entire season.
“In Italy, with such individual pressure on medals [or] The expectations will be completely different,” Starte said. “I hope I don't think of it as pressure, but more as motivation, encouragement, and we'll see how it turns out.
“Especially now [Loutitt is] injured… It feels like there's more pressure on me, but I don't know. I just hope I enjoy it no matter what.”
Team Canada head coach Janko Zwitter said the support system that Strate and Loutitt created with each other, despite being direct competitors, was something he admired.
“Because I coached them, they supported each other and weren't jealous if the other one won. It was a fantastic situation – crazy fantastic, in fact,” Zwitter said. “This is something we will definitely miss because Ellie is missing.
Loutitt's absence also means Strait must shoulder the burden of growing success on her own.
“You lose what holds the team together,” Zwitter said. “Because one of these two would give a fantastic result. [at] every competition. So if you have to carry a Canadian backpack on your shoulders by yourself, okay, it becomes more difficult than if you split it into a team.”
The strategist will try to adjust to Lautitt's absence when the first World Cup of the winter season gets underway in Lillehammer this weekend.
“I didn’t even realize how nice it is to have someone on top of the hill that you train with, that you’re friends with,” Streit said. “The one who high-fives you before every jump. I guess in some ways I took that for granted.
“Now that she won't be there, it will definitely be a bit of an adjustment for me in terms of feeling grounded up there. Without that kind of bouncing off each other at the top of the hill, it would be easier for me to just focus on jumping. I need to find another way to relax up there.”
“But I know [Loutitt] “Everything will be okay, she will come back, and we can solve problems together again.”
Success doesn't always depend on results
Despite her teammate's absence, Streit is determined to continue to build on the latest results from her summer jumping season, but with the caveat that she doesn't associate the concept of success with her placement.
“Based on how well the summer went, I would say my winter goals are pretty high. I've kind of moved away from looking at results as goals, saying, 'Oh, I want to win 10 events,' or something like that. I'd rather have goals focused on my jumps, my performances and competitions,” Streit said.
Zwitter said it's that goal of achieving her best performance rather than chasing a podium spot that will help Streit stay focused on each jump and success will follow.
“I know this [she] can win competitions…she has already proven she can do it,” he said. “I would really like to work from one weekend to the next just to take all the pressure off of our team so they know they have fantastic things going on.
“If she keeps doing the same things she’s been doing all summer, we’ll have a fantastic season.”
Streit took that advice to heart and knows how she will define success in the upcoming season.
“I just want to jump well. I want to have fun jumping far and I know that will put me on the podium and win,” she said. “I want to go to the Olympics and I don’t want to leave anything on the table – I want to go and do the best I can and I think then I’ll leave with pride no matter what.”
