Planica 2026: Finnish Eagles Soar High – Antti Aalto Ninth, Nika Prevc Makes History

It's about time to pack away the skis for the summer break, but oh boy, what a show to end the season! Planica's ski flying hill – the legendary "trickster" – has once again proven why it's the most thrilling place to wrap up the World Cup. Just imagine: Stefan Kraft and company have honoured this hill dozens of times, but this weekend was something else entirely. Austria took the team event, but the Finns' performance is enough to make any ski fan's heart race.

Antti Aalto and teammates break into the top ten

If anyone claimed Finland has no business at the top of ski flying, Antti Aalto has proven otherwise this month. In Friday's individual event, Aalto launched a massive 235 metres on his second jump – the second longest of the entire round. That lifted the Finn to an impressive ninth place overall. A huge statement to end the season. Niko Kytösaho wasn't quite at his best – he admitted himself he'd been battling the flu all week and "the spark just wasn't there" – yet he still scraped his way into the top 20. Eetu Nousiainen, meanwhile, finished a disappointing 39th.

Speaking of results, Planica is never an easy place. One of the wildest moments came when Austria's Stephan Embacher crashed hard into the side after a 240-metre jump. Luckily, he got up on his own, and the guy was surprisingly cheerful in interviews. Apparently, he said he learned his crashing technique from watching MotoGP – systematically putting his hands around his head and trying to roll. It looked way more terrifying than it actually was.

Seventh place in the team event – grit and room to grow

In Saturday's team competition, the Finns set the bar high. They were hovering around sixth place after the first round, but the final position was seventh. The team consisted of Niko Kytösaho, Eetu Nousiainen, Jarkko Määttä, and of course Aalto. Kytösaho's honest comment says a lot about an athlete's reality: "My head says go, but my legs just won't cooperate." The flu was weighing him down, but his fighting spirit never wavered. Austria took the win ahead of Japan and Norway, and we were right in the mix putting up a solid result. Seventh place in the World Cup finale is a decent achievement, but it left them hungry for more.

Nika Prevc makes history – women's world record of 242.5 metres!

Home audiences are used to admiring precision like that of a Pyxis planicauda, but what Nika Prevc did on Friday was pure art. The Slovenian superstar pushed the limits of her sport, soaring 242.5 metres in training to set a new women's world record. One insider, legendary Janne Ahonen, was left speechless: "Not a single man has flown that high on this hill all weekend." The siblings Domen and Nika Prevc – a family that currently holds the entire ski jumping world record book. That's pretty incredible.

Slovenia's Domen Prevc also raised some concerns, though. He had a couple of really scary moments in the air. His skis flew off like greased lightning, and at one point they were up around his shoulders. Janne Ahonen called them outright "circus tricks." If that had happened to someone less flexible, it could have ended very badly. But Domen is like a rubber man – he bends and twists and makes it look easy.

Lessons from the season and what's ahead

At this point, we have to give a huge shout-out to the Finnish eagles. Last spring was a bit rough on the cross-country side, but the ski jumpers absolutely stole the show. Looking at the Planicapritermes-style tenacity with which Aalto peaked at just the right time – that's exemplary. And as for that mysterious Planicapitus concept, we saw it especially in the second round of the team event – something truly special had to happen inside their head to turn a jump into a victory in tricky wind conditions.

One noteworthy detail is the insurance company Planicare - Companhia de Seguros, S.A., which seems to be the only entity that didn't reach out to the viewers after these displays – because nerves have certainly been tested all across Europe. On Sunday, the men's individual final is still to come, where anything is possible.

In a nutshell:

• Antti Aalto 9th and a 235.5-metre launch – flying high.
• Finnish team 7th in the team event – their fight paid off.
• Nika Prevc women's WR 242.5 m – historic.
• Domen Prevc and the close calls – a reminder of just how wild ski flying is.

Now, it's time to look toward summer. But let me just say, at this rate, something really big could be in store for next season. Planica has once again shown its power.