Domen Prevc Claims Home Victory in Planica as Stefan Horngacher Begins Farewell

Domen Prevc won the ski flying individual competition in Planica on Friday, recording jumps of 232.5 and 230.5 meters to claim victory in front of his home crowd. The 26-year-old Slovenian finished ahead of Ren Nikaido of Japan in second place and Daniel Tschofenig of Austria in third. The result capped another dominant performance from Prevc, who has collected virtually every major title available this season. The victory came on the opening day of what promises to be a celebratory final weekend of the World Cup season on the flying hill in the Slovenian valley.

A season of near-total domination for Prevc Prevc entered the Planica weekend already confirmed as the overall World Cup winner for the 2025/26 season, adding that title to an extraordinary collection built throughout the year. He triumphed at the Four Hills Tournament and claimed two gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games. He also holds the ski flying world champion title. Friday's home victory in Planica served as a fitting final statement on a season in which Prevc left little for his rivals to contest. 232.5 (meters) — Prevc's winning first jump in Planica

Domen Prevc set a ski jump world record of 254.5 meters in Planica during the 2024-25 World Cup season, according to web search results. The flying hill in Planica has long been one of the sport's most storied venues, regularly hosting the season-ending World Cup weekend and world record attempts. Prevc, born June 4, 1999, has accumulated two Olympic gold medals, two Nordic World Ski Championships gold medals, and three Ski Flying World Championships gold medals across his career, according to his Wikipedia entry.

[{"side1": "Domen Prevc", "side2": "Ren Nikaido", "score1": 1, "score2": 2, "round": "Individual"},{"side1": "Daniel Tschofenig", "side2": "Andreas Wellinger", "score1": 3, "score2": 8, "round": "Individual"}]

Embacher's 240-meter crash stops the crowd cold The competition was briefly overshadowed by a frightening incident involving Austrian jumper Stephan Embacher. The 20-year-old flew 240 meters but lost control after landing, rolling and sliding down the slope in a sequence that alarmed spectators and officials alike. Embacher was able to get back up on his own and left the landing area under his own power, providing relief after what had appeared a potentially serious fall. The incident highlighted the physical risks inherent in ski flying, where athletes reach speeds and distances that leave little margin for error on landing.

Andreas Wellinger: 8, Karl Geiger: 12, Pius Paschke: 24, Philipp Raimund: 28

Horngacher's German chapter closes quietly in eighth Andreas Wellinger delivered the best German result of the day, finishing eighth with jumps of 218.5 and 215.5 meters. Karl Geiger was the second-best German in 12th place, recording distances of 208 and 224.5 meters. Pius Paschke finished 24th, while Olympic champion Philipp Raimund ended the individual event in 28th place. Raimund's participation carried its own significance — last year he had opted not to start due to a fear of heights, but on Friday he completed both jumps. „For me, the goal was to throw myself off the hill twice, and I managed that quite well” — Philipp Raimund via ZDF The weekend also marks the final competition for Stefan Horngacher as head coach of the German national ski jumping team, a role he has held since April 2019. Horngacher, an Austrian, watched the proceedings with a measured demeanor, rolling up his flag and climbing down from the tower after the event concluded without any German podium result to celebrate. The competition schedule continues Saturday with a team event and a women's individual event, before the season concludes Sunday with a final individual ski flying competition.