Domen Prevc, the season’s dominant player, once again proved his class in front of his home crowd in Planica. The Slovenian showed two confident jumps and won the ski flying ahead of the Japanese Ren Nikaido and the Austrian Daniel Tschofenig. Andreas Wellinger was the best German in eighth place.
The Austrian Stefan Embacher caused a moment of shock: in the second round he lost his balance and fell. Fortunately, the skis opened immediately and Embacher was able to get up and leave the run on his own.
The fall is also bitter from a sporting point of view – with a view to the overall ski flying ranking: The 20-year-old had taken the lead after his victory in the last ski flying in Vikersund and was 15 points ahead of the season’s dominator Domen Prevc before the last World Cup stop. Embacher, however, was already ill before the fall and had complained of pain in his groin area.
His opponent Prevc could benefit from the setback and complete the perfect season. Prevc won the Four Hills Tournament, the overall World Cup, became Olympic champion and ski flying world champion. The only thing the 26-year-old is missing is the ball for the Ski Flying World Cup this winter.
Raimund celebrates Planica premiere despite fear of heights
Philipp Raimund celebrated a personal premiere on Saturday. The Olympic champion on the normal hill had refrained from taking part in Planica for the past two years – in 2025 he explained this decision with his fear of heights. This season, however, Raimund felt ready for ski flying in Planica: “I have a completely different form this year and more self-confidence”he explained on ZDF. He finished his first appearance on the flying hill with a 28th place.
However, the conditions were by no means beginner-friendly: strong winds challenged the athletes. But the DSV Eagles coped well with the difficult conditions. The best German was Andreas Wellinger in eighth place, Karl Geiger came in twelfth, and Pius Paschke came in 24th.
A heavy fall overshadowed the “flying in” into Planica
Even before the official start of the World Cup weekend in Planica, a serious fall overshadowed the traditional “fly in”. On Wednesday, the Slovenian Nik Heberle lost control shortly after his jump, he hit the landing hill of the flying hill, slid down the slope and remained lying in the run-out. The 21-year-old was treated immediately and transported to hospital. The all-clear was later given: the Slovenian was conscious, and after examinations, serious injuries could be ruled out, as the Slovenian association announced.
As part of the season finale, a team competition will take place on Saturday, and the last individual jump of the season awaits the athletes on Sunday. The women’s World Cup final will also take place on the traditional Slovenian ski jump for the first time. The final women’s ski flying is scheduled for Saturday.
