Domen Prevc of Slovenia secured the gold medal in the men’s large hill ski jumping event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Predazzo, Italy, on Saturday, February 14th. His winning jump of 141.5 meters in the final round propelled him past Japan’s Ren Nikaido, who had led after the first round, to claim the title with a total score of 301.8 points.
The victory marks a significant achievement for Prevc, demonstrating both his technical skill and mental fortitude. He achieved distances of 138.5 and 141.5 meters across both rounds. Nikaido ultimately took silver, while Poland’s Kacper Tomasiak secured the bronze medal.
The competition also saw strong performances from several other athletes. Jan Hörl of Austria finished fifth, narrowly missing out on a medal by just 4.3 points. Hörl expressed his disappointment, stating in an interview with ORF, “For me We see bitter, here only the medals one, two, three count.” He acknowledged the high level of competition and noted that slight variations in conditions impacted his performance. “My jumps were remarkably okay. The others got it on the point better. I had a good feeling, but it was a little different with the conditions. When it is a little wetter, I feel a little less comfortable.”
The event proved challenging for some of Austria’s top jumpers. Daniel Tschofenig and Stefan Kraft both experienced difficulties, failing to contend for the podium. Philipp Raimund, the Olympic champion from the normal hill event, finished ninth, falling short of a second medal. He attributed his performance to not feeling the same form he had experienced in training, stating, “I am not quite satisfied. It was not the feeling that I had from the previous days.”
Gregor Deschwanden of Switzerland finished 13th, a result that fell short of his hopes after winning bronze on the normal hill. Felix Trunz failed to qualify for the second round, and Sandro Hauswirth was relegated from 20th to 28th place. Deschwanden expressed his focus on the upcoming super team event, where Switzerland will field a two-person team.
The super team event, scheduled for Monday, February 16th, will feature two jumpers per nation, offering another opportunity for athletes to compete for Olympic glory. Stephan Embacher, who finished seventh on Saturday, is a potential teammate for Hörl in the event.
