The Big Picture
Anna Odine Stroem, already a gold medalist in the normal hill event, defied both gravity and existential angst to claim victory in the inaugural women's large hill ski jump at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The event, new to the Olympic program, saw Stroem soar above her competitors, proving that even in a world spiraling into madness, humans can still find new ways to hurl themselves through the air for glory.
By the Numbers
2 Gold medals won by Anna Odine Stroem at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. 2014 The year women's ski jumping was first included in the Sochi Games (normal hill). Large The size of the hill that Stroem jumped off of, which is apparently different than a normal hill. 1st Position secured by Stroem in the Olympic debut of women's large hill ski jumping Norway Stroem's country of origin and current residence.What Changed
The inclusion of the women's large hill ski jump in the Olympics marks a shift in the landscape of competitive ski jumping, or at least, that's what the press release will tell you. The forces at play here are the ever-present push for gender equality in sports (yay!) and the insatiable human desire to watch other humans do increasingly ridiculous things (also yay!). It also means that the patriarchy is now letting women risk their lives doing the same stupid stuff men do.
Why It Matters
Why does this matter? Because in a world where everything feels like it's collapsing, watching someone achieve something, anything, is a momentary distraction from the void. Because maybe, just maybe, if we can hurl ourselves off a giant ski jump and land without breaking every bone in our body, there's still hope for humanity. Or at least, hope that we can find new and creative ways to entertain ourselves before the inevitable heat death of the universe. Go outside and watch a bird. Or don't. It doesn't matter.