Olympic Champions Stroem and Prevc head Hinzenbach World Cup return

Newly-crowned Olympic Champions Anna-Odine Stroem (NOR) and Nika Prevc (SLO) are among the stars descending on Hinzenbach (AUT), as the World Cup returns following the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Fellow individual medalists Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR) and Nozomi Maruyama (JPN) will also contest the Normal Hill competition, where Prevc is the defending champion.

Prevc is in perfect shape to defend her double win from Hinzenbach last year after winning the Slovenian National Championships on Wednesday. She came away from the Olympics in Italy with individual silver and bronze to add to her Mixed Team gold.

“I learned a lot and it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, but the rollercoaster never crashed!” she reflected.

The Slovenian holds a lead of almost 500 points in the overall standings with nine World Cups to go. Victory in Hinzenbach would put her within touching distance of her third Crystal Globe, while a double victory would see her equal the record number of World Cup wins in a season with 15. That mark was set by Sara Takanashi (JPN) in 2013/14 and Prevc herself last season. She also has fond memories of the Austrian hill as the site of her first ever World Cup podium. Prevc finished third in Hinzenbach in 2023 at the age of just 17.

The Slovenian will face tough competition from Stroem though, who became the first woman in history to win double individual gold at the Olympics with victory in both the Normal and Large Hill events. The Norwegian will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Beijing 2022 Olympic Champion Ursa Bogataj (SLO), who also won the first World Cup after her Games triumph.

Stroem’s Norwegian teammate Kvandal is another athlete in contention for the podium, having won the two most recent World Cups in Willingen (GER) just before Milano Cortina. She left the Olympics with two silver medals - one individual and one team.

Lisa Eder (AUT) heads a strong contingent from the host nation as she looks to close the gap to second-placed Maruyama in the overall Crystal Globe standings. Like Prevc, she also achieved her first individual World Cup podium in Hinzenbach, finishing third in 2022. She enjoys jumping in front of her home crowd, as shown by her two second place finishes in Villach (AUT) earlier this season.

Her Austrian teammate Julia Muehlbacher is also excited to be back on home snow.

“Home World Cups are always very important to us and are something special. With Hinzenbach and Villach, we have two small hills on the calendar where we know we can jump well and be dangerous for our competitors,” she said.

“I know Hinzenbach very well. We were there often as children. It's a great facility with people in the background who spare no effort and no expense to ensure that the hill is optimally prepared and we find great conditions.

“The hill is very small, so it's important to ski cleanly from top to bottom. That's what it will take this weekend to be among the leaders."