Prevc soars to victory in Garmisch and extends Four Hills lead

Jan 01, 2026·Ski Jumping

Domen Prevc (SLO) - FIS/ActionPress/Julia Piatkowskav

Domen Prevc (SLO) started the new year with a performance to remember, taking victory at the second stop of the 2025/26 Four Hills Tournament on New Year’s Day.

The World Cup leader finished 15.4 points clear of Jan Hoerl (AUT) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, while Stephan Embacher (AUT) placed third to claim his first Four Hills event podium.

Prevc set the tone early, travelling 143.0m and earning 149.3 points for his first jump to take an early lead over Hoerl, who scored 146.1 points in the opening round. Prevc further extended his lead with a 141.0m jump (153.8 points) in the second round for a combined total of 303.1 points.

Early sleep helps Prevc

“This was another really good day for me”, Prevc, who thrilled 22,000 spectators in a sold-out stadium, said afterward. “I had super jumps. Actually, I didn’t celebrate New Year’s (Eve) as I was so tired. I just went to sleep at eleven o’clock (yesterday night). I didn’t hear the fireworks, so I think I had (some sort) of advantage today. I was really well rested and in super shape. Combining all of that led to a super performance. It is amazing, I hope to keep it going.”

Prevc became the fourth Slovenian male ski jumper to claim victory in Garmisch-Partenkirchen after Primoz Peterka (1997 and 2003), his brother Peter Prevc (2016) and Anze Lanisek (2024). With the Four Hills Tournament now at the halfway mark, Prevc looks to be in a perfect position to become the third Slovenian male ski jumper to win the Four Hills title following Primoz Peterka in 1997 and his older brother Peter Prevc in 2016.

Can Prevc achieve the mythical Grand Slam?

With two wins and two more events to come, he could become the fourth jumper in history to achieve the mythical Grand Slam of wins in Oberstdorf, Garmisch, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen. Only Germany's Sven Hannawald, Poland's Kamil Stoch, and Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi have ever achieved this milestone.

“Of course, there is pressure. Always”, Prevc said. “(It’s) Coming from all sides. But it’s on me how to deal with it. If I take it as an advantage, to put more energy (in the jumps), it’s the best way to deal with it.”

“Right now the only thing on my mind is what I need to do”, Prevc said. “I need to focus on my own things.”

Hoerl back on the World Cup podium

While Prevc secured his seventh World Cup win of the season, Hoerl (AUT) managed to climb back onto the podium for the first time since the season opener in Lillehammer (NOR) in November, where he also finished second.

His teammate Embacher secured the first Four Hills event podium of his career and did that in style after he broke the hill record at the Große Olympiaschanze in Garmisch-Partenkirchen during qualifying on Thursday (145.5m).

Embacher, who celebrates his 20th birthday on the 12 January, is the first teenager to land on the podium in Garmisch after Gregor Schlierenzauer (AUT), who won in 2008 (at age 17) and 2010 (at age 19).

Ren Nikaido and three-time Four Hills overall winner Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) rounded out the top five, while Germans Felix Hoffmann and Philipp Raimund placed sixth and seventh. Kacper Tomasiak (POL) impressed with his first-ever top-10 finish in a Four Hills event.

Defending Four Hills Tournament champion Daniel Tschofenig (AUT) finished in ninth place.

Zajc disqualified

Prevc's teammate Timi Zajc (SLO) was disqualified for a second consecutive time this week due to an irregularity with his suit.

Zajc's suit deviated from the standard by four millimetres. As a result, the Slovenian received a red card before the first round in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Zajc is suspended for the two remaining Tour events in Austria.

How the Four Hills Tournament works

68 athletes had taken to the hill for qualifying on Wednesday and the top 50 qualified for the first round on Thursday.

The top 50 were placed into a series of duels, with the top ranked athlete, facing the lowest ranked qualifier, and so on throughout the field.

The winner of each duel would progress, as would five ‘lucky losers’ who recorded scores which ranked among the top five non-automatic qualifiers, from their first round.

The scores from the first round would be retained and added to the second round, this time without duels, to determine the overall standings.

The points total from each of the contests during the 2025/26 Four Hills Tournament will be combined to determine who becomes this season’s overall winner and takes home the Golden Eagle title.