Multiple hill records at Predazzo Summer Grand Prix; Piotr Żyła falters

The Saturday Summer Grand Prix competition on the refurbished Olympic hill in Predazzo produced a string of long flights and multiple hill records.

In round one, Manuel Fettner (AUT) opened strongly with 133 m before Anže Lanišek (SLO) edged ahead on style. Stefan Kraft (AUT) then flew 136 m to take the lead, but moments later Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) soared 136.5 m to set a new hill record and win the first round by 0.6 points over Kraft.

Among the Poles, Aleksander Zniszczoł led the way with 134 m for 8th after the first round. Maciej Kot jumped 132 m for 15th, Dawid Kubacki 131 m for 19th, while Piotr Żyła managed only 124.5 m and finished 46th, missing the second round.

Round two began with Naoki Nakamura (JPN) equaling Kobayashi’s 136.5 m record. Soon after, Domen Prevc (SLO) also reached 136.5 m, joining as co‑record holder of the enlarged hill ahead of the 2026 Olympics. Then 40‑year‑old Manuel Fettner stunned the field with 137.5 m to set a new outright hill record.

Kobayashi sealed overall victory with 137 m in the final round, ahead of Fettner, who climbed from ninth after the first round to second place. For Poland, Kubacki finished best in 12th, Zniszczoł was 15th, and Kot 20th. Żyła remained 46th and out after round one. A mixed team event was scheduled for Sunday. The World Cup winter season is set to start on 21 November in Lillehammer, with the 2026 Winter Olympics beginning on 6 February.

A brief look back to Thursday’s normal hill event: Jan Hörl (AUT) won from Daniel Tschofenig (AUT) and Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN). In large hill qualifying on Friday, Kamil Stoch fell and failed to qualify, though he had looked strong in training.