She was plagued by injuries for years and had to undergo six operations.
The Olympic premiere last week brought only tears with a 42nd place on the normal hill.
But when it really mattered on the large hill in Predazzo, the 25-year-old Westman delivered an almost perfect performance.
She stepped out into the evening darkness and flew 129.5 meters in the first jump and 127.5 meters in the second.
The result: a strong fourth place, just six points away from a bronze place – which in this case would have been Sweden’s first ski jumping medal at the Olympics since Brätt-Kalle Holmström of Kiruna took bronze in Oslo in 1952.
The victory was won The Norwegian Anna Odine Strøm ahead of her compatriot Eirin Maria Kvandal and the Slovenian Nika Prevc.
Westman’s performance is all the more impressive because it was one of the best of her entire career. Previously, the Trondheim-trained Örnsköldsvik girl once came third – at a World Cup competition in Poland in 2022.
There have already been two ninth places in the World Cup this season.
The results from Sunday evening was also a real turnaround compared to the normal situation at the Olympic Games last Saturday.
Then the Swede, who was anything but happy, just had to make a jump after a lot of fluttering.
“I think I’m getting way too eager on the sidelines – and that’s no use to me,” a visibly dissatisfied Frida Westman told TT and the others in the Swedish press corps on site.
But that was back then. Now she is a fresh fourth-place finisher at the Olympics – with a place in the world elite.
