Austria won the final ski flying event of the season. © ANSA / ANTONIO BAT

Overjoyed Austrian ski jumpers triumph in ski flying

The Austrian ski jumping team (ÖSV-Adler) secured victory in the team ski flying event at the World Cup in Planica.

March 28, 2026

From: apa

Austria's men's ski flying team, consisting of Daniel Tschofenig, Markus Müller, Stefan Kraft, and Stephan Embacher, won the only "classic" team event of the season on Saturday. The Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) team triumphed in front of 30.000 fans in Planica, finishing 13,9 points ahead of Japan and 21,5 points ahead of Norway, repeating their victory from last year. This win added another 400 points to their Nations Cup tally, although head coach Andreas Widhölzl's team had already secured victory in this discipline some time ago.

Despite his fall the previous day, Embacher showed no signs of being affected and soared to 233,5 and 221 meters as the final jumper. Team debutant Müller also kept pace with the leaders in his first jump of 231 meters and landed at 201,5 meters in his second. Tschofenig (218/234) and Kraft (235,5/217,5) delivered similar performances to Embacher.

Embacher: "It was not an easy day today."

“It wasn’t an easy day today, mentally preparing for the landing. I handled it very well, so I can jump tomorrow with a clear head, knowing everything will work out. I’m overjoyed that we won as a team,” Embacher said happily in an ORF interview. Kraft was also beaming: “Jumping down in front of 30.000 people on Saturday in the sunshine and leaving the ski jump happy – that’s what you do it for. I love the team competition; I’ve heard there will be more of it next year,” the Salzburg native revealed.

Markus Müller shone in Planica. © ANSA / Grzegorz Momot

Team debutant Müller was overwhelmed: “Incredible, cool. The first flight was really cool. After the second one, I thought, now I've given it my all,” said the Carinthian, who was all the more relieved when Norway's last man, Johann Andre Forfang, had flown a similarly short distance of 202 meters. “This huge grin isn't going away anytime soon.”


Tschofenig was also delighted, having celebrated his 24th birthday in style on Saturday. "A fantastic day. I congratulate the whole team; they all did an outstanding job." He had finished third in the first individual event on Saturday. Since the Olympic Games now only feature the Super Team event with two athletes per nation, the "classic" event with four athletes per team has become rare. However, this is set to change.

Nika Prevc is causing a sensation

The women's competition in Planica began in the afternoon. Nika Prevc had already made headlines the previous day with a women's world record throw of 242,5 meters. On Saturday, she secured a dominant victory ahead of Norway's Maria Eirin Kvandal. Germany's Katharina Schmid (13th) received an emotional send-off.

The men will conclude their season on Sunday with the final individual competition. Embacher has certainly gained confidence, even though Domen Prevc, who faltered on Saturday, remains the favorite for the ski flying globe.