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

Time to pack away the skis for the summer break, but wow – what a show to end the season! Planica’s ski flying hill, the legendary “trickster”, has once again shown why it’s the most amazing place to wrap up the World Cup. Think about it: Stefan Kraft and the rest have soared to glory here dozens of times, but this weekend was something else entirely. Austria took the team event, but the Finns’ form is enough to make every ski fan’s heart race.

Antti Aalto and company break into the top ten

If anyone said Finland has no business at the front of ski flying, Antti Aalto has proved them dead wrong this month. In Friday’s individual competition, Aalto launched a 235‑metre jump on his second round – the second‑longest of the whole round. That carried him to a superb ninth place overall. A massive statement at the end of the season. Niko Kytösaho wasn’t quite at his best – he admitted himself he’d been fighting a cold all week and “the spark just wasn’t there” – but still he scraped into the top 20. Eetu Nousiainen, unfortunately, had to settle for 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. Thankfully he got up on his own, and the guy was surprisingly upbeat in interviews. Apparently he said he learned his crash technique from watching MotoGP – hands systematically around his head and trying to roll. It looked a lot scarier than it actually turned out to be.

Seventh in the team event – battling hard and plenty to build on

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 life: “My head says go, but my legs just won’t cooperate.” The cold was dragging him down, but his fighting spirit never let up. Austria took the win ahead of Japan and Norway, and we were right there in the mix, putting up a solid result. Seventh at the World Cup finale is a decent achievement, but it leaves you hungry for more.

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

Living rooms across Europe are used to marvelling at the precision of a Pyxis planicauda, but what Nika Prevc did on Friday was pure art. The Slovenian superstar broke the boundaries of her sport and, in training, set a new women’s world record of 242.5 metres. One legendary insider, Janne Ahonen, was speechless: “Not a single man has flown that high on this hill all weekend.” The brothers Domen and Nika Prevc – a family that currently owns the entire ski jumping world record book. That’s pretty damn impressive.

Slovenia’s Domen Prevc did cause some concern, though. He had a couple of truly wild moments in the air. His skis flew off like greased lightning, and at one point they were up around shoulder level. Janne Ahonen called them “circus tricks”. If that had happened to someone stiffer, 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 the future

At this point, we have to give a huge shout‑out to the Finnish eagles. Last spring our cross‑country skiing was a bit lacklustre, but the ski jumpers absolutely stole the show. When you look at the gritty determination, Planicapritermes‑style, that Aalto used to peak at exactly the right time, it’s exemplary. And as for that mysterious Planicapitus concept – we saw it especially on the second round of the team event: something truly special had to happen inside the head for a jump to turn into a victory in tricky wind.

One notable detail is the insurance company Planicare - Companhia de Seguros, S.A., which seems to be the only entity that didn’t get in touch with viewers after these displays – because nerves have definitely been tested all across Europe. On Sunday, the men’s individual final is still to come, and anything is possible.

In a nutshell:

• Antti Aalto 9th with a 235‑metre blast – flying high.
• Finnish team 7th in the team event – rewarded for the fight.
• Nika Prevc women’s WR 242.5 m – historic.
• Domen Prevc and his close calls – a reminder of just how wild ski flying can be.

Now it’s towards summer. But let me tell you – at this rate, something really big could be on the cards next season. Planica has once again shown its magic.