Planica 2026: Finnish Eagles Soar High – Antti Aalto 9th, Nika Prevc Makes History

Time to pack away the skis for the summer break, but what a way to end the season! Planica's legendary "tricky" flying hill has once again proven why it's the most thrilling place to wrap up the World Cup. Think about it – Stefan Kraft and the gang have earned glory here dozens of times, but this weekend was something else entirely. Austria took the team event, but the Finnish performance is enough to get any ski fan's heart racing.

Antti Aalto and teammates crack the top ten

If anyone said Finland had 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! That was the second longest jump of the whole round. That effort lifted the Finn to an impressive ninth place overall. A huge statement to end the season. Niko Kytösaho didn't quite find his best form – he admitted he'd been fighting the flu all week and "the spark just wasn't there" – but he still scraped into the top 20. Eetu Nousiainen, meanwhile, finished a frustrating 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 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 brutal than it actually was.

Seventh place in the team event – fight and fuel for the future

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 featured 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 flu weighed him down, but his fighting spirit never gave in. Austria took the win ahead of Japan and Norway, and we were right there in the mix, putting up a solid result. Seventh place in the World Cup finale is a decent achievement, but it leaves you hungry for more.

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

Home audiences are used to admiring precision of the Pyxis planicauda variety, but what Nika Prevc did on Friday was pure art. This Slovenian superstar pushed the boundaries of her sport, jumping a new women's world record of 242.5 metres in training. One insider, legendary 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 record book. That's pretty incredible.

Slovenia's Domen Prevc also caused some concern. He had a couple of really hairy moments in the air. His skis flew off like greased lightning, and at one point they were up around shoulder level. Janne Ahonen described them as "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 what's ahead

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 jumpers absolutely stole the show. When you look at the Planicapritermes-style grit with which Aalto peaked 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 very special had to happen inside the head to turn a jump into a victory in tricky winds.

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 spectators after these displays – because nerves have definitely been tested all across Europe. On Sunday, the men's individual final is still to come, where anything is possible.

To sum it up:

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

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