Prevc wins again

Prevc wins, young dad Kraft second on comeback

Stefan Kraft takes second place in Klingenthal on his comeback.(Bild: EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK)

Young dad Stefan Kraft takes second place in his comeback competition in Klingenthal. Domen Prevc extends his World Cup lead with the victory. The German Philipp Raimund takes third place.

Thanks to young dad Stefan Kraft, Austria's eagles have made it back onto the World Cup podium. The man from Salzburg, who recently took a break for the birth of his first child, made an impressive comeback in Klingenthal in second place. The Slovenian Domen Prevc once again beat everyone and extended his lead in the overall ski jumping World Cup. His sister Nika Prevc triumphed in the women's event.

Last three jumps without a podium
Austria's ski jumpers, who are used to success, had recently missed the podium three times in a row. Kraft had withdrawn from the World Cup for the competitions in Ruka and Wisla due to the imminent birth of his daughter. After a nine-day break from jumping, he had no problems getting started in Germany. With jumps of 132.5 and 133.5 m, he only had no chance against the current high-flyer Prevc (142.5/143). The winner had a lead of 25.5 points.

Stefan Kraft(Bild: EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK)

Feelings of happiness traveled with
"I couldn't have imagined it any better. To be on the podium again right away is wonderful," said Kraft. He had missed ski jumping, but he had been able to experience incredible things at home, he said, referring to the birth of his child. "It looks like the feelings of happiness, adrenaline and emotions were carried over to Klingenthal. It worked out perfectly." He thanked his family for "allowing" him to make the trip. The foggy conditions were very "strange" because you are skiing into empty white. He no longer saw ÖSV head coach Andreas Widhölzl, but only heard the whistle. "Then you get going."

Hörl drops back
Jan Hörl dropped back from third to sixth place. Jonas Schuster finished eleventh and the reigning overall World Cup winner Daniel Tschofenig only managed 13th place in the tailwind jumping. The Carinthian left the run-out shaking his head. Stephan Embacher (19th) and Manuel Fettner (23rd) also scored World Cup points.

Eder only tenth on large hill
Prevc took advantage of favorable wind conditions in the first round and triumphed with two best distances. In the ninth competition of the season, the Slovenian made it onto the podium for the sixth time. Domen's sister Nika had previously come out on top at the same venue ahead of Friday's winner Nozomi Maruyama (JPN). Lisa Eder had to settle for tenth place after finishing third on the large hill the day before, missing out on the top three by over 25 points. "Klingenthal is a hill for flyers. I lack the necessary feeling for flying." Julia Mühlbacher from Upper Austria finished 17th, no other ÖSV jumpers were at the start.

Before the Two-Nights-Tour on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the women have a guest appearance in Engelberg in Switzerland next week. The Two-Nights-Tour with competitions in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf will be held for the last time in this form. From 2026, there will be a Four Hills Tournament for women.