Jury lowered the gate but Domen Prevc was dominant anyway

Domen Prevc won the classic New Year’s Day jump in Garmisch‑Partenkirchen. The Slovenian was dominant even though the jury reduced the start gate before his second jump for safety reasons.

Prevc said in Viaplay’s broadcast that he had been so tired on New Year’s Eve he went to bed early and was completely rested for the competition, which helped him deliver a superb performance.

For safety the jury moved the start for the last two jumpers from gate 16 to gate 15 to reduce speed. Stephan Embacher sat in the leader’s chair after posting the longest second‑round jump of 141.5 m.

Jan Hörl of Austria was affected by the change and landed at 131.5 m, but after compensation for the lower start he still briefly held the lead.

Prevc had jumped 143 m in the first round and showed his quality by following with 141 m in the second. He celebrated at the landing and bowed to the estimated 30,000 spectators, confident the victory was secure.

“With the gate where I started I thought it would be tougher to beat Jan Hörl but I could push all the way from that position,” Prevc said. His brother Peter won the Four Hills Tournament ten years ago.

With gate‑compensation points included, Prevc won convincingly on 303.1 points, ahead of Hörl (287.7) and Embacher (287.1), and extended his overall lead in the Four Hills Tournament.

The traditional German‑Austrian Four Hills Tournament has been held since 1953 with events in Oberstdorf, Garmisch‑Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.