Ski jumper Abigail Strate earns bronze in Austria for 1st World Cup medal of season

Canada's Abigail Strate collected bronze on Sunday for her first World Cup ski jumping medal of the season.

Strate, from Calgary, scored 226.6 points over two jumps on the normal-size hill in Hinzenbach, Austria.

She covered 86.5 metres on her first jump and 87.5 on her second.

"It feels really good. I wasn't trying to expect anything but being in third afer the first round, I haven't been in that position this year, so it was a bit stressful," Strate told Ski Jumping Canada one day after turning 24. "Today, I decided I was going to go for it. It either works or it doesn't. In a top sport like this the margin is so small you can't be half in.

"I have been playing it safe this year, but I reached the point where I said 'we are doing it. I know I can do it.' I proved that to myself in training and qualis this weekend."

Slovenia's Nika Prevc won gold with 244.0 points and Germany's Selina Freitag took silver (241.5).

WATCH | Strate soars to bronze medal in Hinzenbach, Austria:

Calgary's Abigail Strate flies to her 1st World Cup ski jumping medal of the season

It was Strate's sixth career World Cup medal.

Sitting third midway through the competition, the nerves ramped up.

"Not going to lie. I put stress relieving oils on my gloves and took a sniff to calm things down at the top of the hill. I must have looked silly, but it worked," laughed Strate.

The certified Canadian bee keeper also took a quick glimpse at a lucky bee sticker she has placed on her right ski to remind her to relax and smile.

"Every time I put my skis on, I look at that little bee on my ski and it makes me smile. I definitely did that today," Srate said. "I could feel my heart beating so fast and that quick look just made me smile, kept me grounded in