Planica, Slovenia – The 2025-2026 ski jumping World Cup season concluded this weekend in Planica, Slovenia, cementing the dominance of the Prevc family and marking the end of an era for German veteran Katharina Schmid. While the alpine skiers wrapped up their campaign in Lillehammer last week, and Nordic combined, biathlon, and cross-country skiers concluded their seasons earlier in Oslo and Lake Placid, all eyes turned to Planica for the final showdown on the flying hill.
Trond R. Teigen/NTB/via REUTERS
World record holder Nika Prevc
Since 2018, Planica has hosted the World Cup Finals, a multi-event competition known as “Planica 7” for the men, comprising a qualification round, two individual competitions, and a team event. This year marked a historic first, as women competed in a ski flying World Cup final in Planica as well, though their competition consisted of a single event. It was there that Nika Prevc soared to a new women’s world record of 242.5 meters – achieved during the second training jump. The inclusion of women in ski flying competition is a relatively recent development, with the first World Cup event taking place just two years ago after years of advocacy.
Prevc’s performance wasn’t limited to a record-breaking jump. She convincingly won the final competition and secured the overall World Cup title. Accumulating nineteen individual victories throughout the season, she finished over 800 points ahead of Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama and Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm in the final standings. While individual Olympic gold eluded her at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games – she earned silver on the normal hill and bronze on the large hill – Prevc did contribute to Slovenia’s gold medal-winning mixed team performance.
For the German Ski Association, Selina Freitag (SG Nickelhütte Auer) was the top performer, finishing fifth overall. Agnes Reisch (WSV Isny) placed seventh. The season also marked the retirement of seven-time world champion Katharina Schmid (formerly Althaus), who finished twelfth in her final season. Schmid, who carried the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, is celebrated not only for her athletic achievements but also for her tireless advocacy for the rights of female ski jumpers, who only began competing in their own World Cup series in the 2011/12 season. Her decision to retire a year before the inaugural women’s Four Hills Tournament underscores the ongoing challenges faced by the sport, though her impact is widely recognized within the ski jumping community.
Domen Prevc, Nika’s brother, mirrored her success on the men’s side, claiming the overall World Cup title with a dominant performance. Leading up to the final competition on Sunday – the results of which were pending at the time of reporting – he held a lead of nearly double the points of his closest competitor, Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi. Domen Prevc also secured a gold medal in the team mixed event and on the large hill at the Olympic Games.
At the Olympics, Philipp Raimund (SC Oberstdorf) achieved a stunning victory on the normal hill, marking his first-ever World Cup win. He later secured another win on the large hill in Lahti three weeks after the Olympics, initially finishing second but being elevated to first place after Domen Prevc was disqualified due to skis that were one centimeter too long.
The issue of equipment regulations has been under intense scrutiny since a scandal at the 2025 Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, where video evidence revealed that the Norwegian team had manipulated their suits with extra seams to enhance lift. This season saw numerous disqualifications for violations including ski length, suit length, and shoe size. A particularly notable incident involved Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm, a two-time Olympic champion, who was disqualified in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in December after an illegal sole was discovered in one of her socks. The Norwegian team subsequently provided a medical explanation for the sole, though the reason for concealing it within a sock remains unclear.
In the overall men’s World Cup standings, Philipp Raimund finished seventh, with Felix Hoffmann (SWV Goldlauter) close behind in ninth. Veteran German jumpers Andreas Wellinger (SC Ruhpolding), Karl Geiger (SC Oberstdorf), and Pius Paschke (WSV Kiefersfelden) experienced a challenging season, finishing 25th, 28th, and 29th respectively. Geiger previously won the Planica 7 title in 2021.
The disappointing performances of the German veterans raise questions about the future under head coach Stefan Horngacher, who will be stepping down after this season. DSV Sports Director Horst Hüttel indicated that an announcement regarding his successor was imminent, stating, “We are on the home stretch, but we are not over it yet. There are still things that need to be discussed.”
The 2025-2026 season has been a landmark year for Slovenian ski jumping, with the Prevc siblings leading the charge. Nika Prevc’s world record and overall World Cup title, coupled with Domen Prevc’s dominant season and Olympic success, solidify Slovenia’s position as a powerhouse in the sport. The season also highlighted the ongoing evolution of women’s ski jumping and the legacy of athletes like Katharina Schmid, who paved the way for future generations.
The ski jumping world now turns its attention to the offseason and preparations for the 2026-2027 season, including the historic first-ever women’s Four Hills Tournament. Further announcements regarding coaching changes within the German Ski Association are expected in the coming weeks.
