Prevc lands third-successive Crystal Globe with Lahti win

World champion Nika Prevc (SLO) and Olympic gold medalist Anna Odine Stroem (NOR) delivered another entertaining battle, but it was the Slovenian who ultimately triumphed in the first Lahti World Cup contest of 2026, to secure the overall Crystal Globe title.

The 20-year-old delivered jumps of 128.5m and 124.5m to attain a combined score of 296.7 points, which was 14.2pts more than Stroem (282.5), with Japan’s Olympic bronze medalist Nozomi Maruyama (270.8) completing the top-three.

Prevc becomes only the third ski jumper in history to win three successive overall World Cup crowns, following Poland’s Adam Malysz (2000-2003) and Maren Lundby of Norway (2017-2020).

“I’m super happy today,” Prevc told FIS after what was also her third consecutive victory in Lahti.

“I love this hill here and I’m really happy that I could win today and already secure the World Cup Overall win so early in the season.”

The Slovenian, who claimed individual silver and bronze at Milano Cortina 2026, has now achieved 15 World Cup victories this season. It matches the all-time women’s record which she initially achieved during the 2024/25 campaign and currently shares with Sara Takanashi (JPN), who set the mark in 2013/14.

Prevc will have six further opportunities to surpass that figure across the remaining World Cup contests this season, with her first chance coming on Friday, in Lahti’s second women’s event.

24 hours after claiming silver at the Junior World Ski Championships in Lillehammer (NOR) Norwegian teenager Ingvild Synnoeve Midtskogen (NOR) returned to the World Cup stage and qualified in 27^th, before matching that placement in the overall standings. 

Among those to make an impressive move up the standings in the second half of the competition was five-time Nordic Combined World champion Gyda Westvold Hansen (NOR), who rose six places to finish sixth; her best-ever ski jumping World Cup result.

Lisa Eder (AUT) entered the first Lahti World Cup event off the back of victory on her home hill in Hinzenbach (AUT) last weekend, but looked a little short of her best form in qualifying, ranking 12^th.

She would improve round-on-round, but was unable to secure a further podium finish, eventually placing fifth.

Takanashi (JPN) may hold the all-time record for individual World Cup wins – 63 – but her last solo success came back in February 2024 and while she was well-placed in fourth after the first round in Lahti, she ultimately finished 10^th.

Double Olympic Winter Games silver medallist Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR) marked her return to the World Cup stage for the first time since Milano Cortina 2026 with two strong jumps and a fourth-place-finish.

The top-three would remain unchanged between the two rounds, with 2025/26 World Cup breakthrough star Maruyama (JPN) backing up her two Olympic bronze medals with a further third-place finish.

Stroem (NOR), who jumped 123m in the opening round, trailed Prevc by 7.7 points at that stage.

Although her second effort of 121.5m was higher scoring, given the more challenging conditions, unlike at the Olympic Games, Prevc was able to outscore her nine-time World championship medal-winning Norwegian rival and a secure win number 15 of the season.

2026 LAHTI WORLD CUP SCHEDULE:

Friday, 6 March:
10:45 – Competition Start – WC Women’s Large Hill
15:30 – Competition Start – WC Men’s Large Hill

Saturday, 7 March:
16:30 – Start Qualification – WC Men’s Large Hill
18:00 – Competition Start – WC Men’s Large Hill

Sunday, 8 March:
15:00 – Start Trial Round – WC Men’s Super Team
16:00 – Competition Start – WC Men’s Super Team

*All times are Eastern European Time (EET) and are subject to changes.