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

Time to pack away the skis and probably start thinking about summer holidays, 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 epic place to wrap up the World Cup season. Just imagine: Stefan Kraft and the crew have sung its praises dozens of times, but this weekend was something else entirely. Austria took the team event, but the Finns' form is enough to get every ski fan's heart racing.

Antti Aalto and company break into the top ten

If anyone said Finland has no business being at the front of ski flying, Antti Aalto has proven them dead wrong this month. In Friday's individual event, Aalto unleashed a massive 235-metre jump on his second round! That was the second longest jump of the entire round. In the final standings, that propelled the Finn to a superb ninth place. That's a huge statement at the end of the season. Niko Kytösaho didn't quite find his best form – he admitted himself that he'd been battling the flu all week and "just didn't have the spark" – but he still scrapped his way into the top 20. Eetu Nousiainen, meanwhile, ended up a disappointing 39th.

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

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

In Saturday's team competition, the Finns set the bar high. They were sniffing 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 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 leaves you hungry for more.

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

Living room viewers are used to admiring precision of the highest order, but what Nika Prevc did on Friday was pure artistry. This Slovenian superstar pushed the boundaries of her sport and jumped a new women's world record of 242.5 metres in training. One insider, legendary Janne Ahonen, was speechless: "No man has flown that high on this hill all weekend." The siblings Domen and Nika Prevc – a family that currently owns the entire ski jumping world record book. That's pretty incredible.

Slovenia's Domen Prevc also caused some concern, though. He had a couple of truly hair-raising moments in the air. His skis went flying off like greased lightning, and at one point they were at shoulder height. Janne Ahonen even called them "circus tricks". If that had happened to someone stiffer, it would've ended really badly for sure. But Domen is like a rubber man – he bends and twists and makes it look easy.

Season takeaways and the future

At this point, we've got to give a big 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 kind of grit it took for Aalto to peak at just the right time, it's truly exemplary. And as for that mysterious concept of "Planica magic", we saw it especially in the second round of the team event – something special had to happen inside the head to turn the jump into a winning effort 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 get in touch with viewers after these displays – because nerves must have been tested all across Europe. On Sunday, the men's individual final is still to be jumped, where anything is possible.

In a nutshell:

• Antti Aalto 9th with a 235.5-metre blast – top form.
• Finnish team 7th in the team event – fight rewarded.
• Nika Prevc women's WR 242.5m – historic stuff.
• Domen Prevc and the close calls – a reminder of how wild ski flying can be.

Now it's time to head towards summer. But let me just say, if this pace is anything to go by, something truly big could be in store next season. Planica has once again shown its power.