American Nita Englund (Florence, Wisconsin) opened the FIS Summer Grand Prix tour Friday by finishing 23rd in Courchevel, France, on the HS96-meter Olympic hill. Japan’s Sara Takanashi took the win. Takanashi’s teammate Yuki Ito was second with Austria’s Daniela Iraschko-Stolz third.
Englund soared 87.0 and 94.5 meters on her two jumps. She was the lone American in the field. It was her second weekend of summer competition after finishing fourth in early July at a FIS Cup event in Villach, Austria. Englund, who was one of the top American jumpers a year ago, is basing her summer training in Slovenia.
The women’s Grand Prix tour continues next month with stops in Chaikovsky, Russia, and Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Will Rhoads (Park City) led the U.S. men, finishing 48th in a night event on the HS132-meter hill won by Germany’s Severin Freund.