Ski jumping in Innsbruck — Prevc stopped, scary moment for Hoffmann

The third competition of the Four Hills Tournament — and the first one that really produced suspense. After Domen Prevc's one‑man show in Oberstdorf and Garmisch‑Partenkirchen, Sunday (4 January 2026) at the Bergisel in Innsbruck was much tighter.

Four flyers were almost level after the first round. In the end Ren Nikaido came out on top in the third Four Hills event. Ironically it was the Japanese who had never won a World Cup event before; he ended Prevc's dream of winning all four tournaments. The Slovenian finished second in Innsbruck. Austria's 19‑year‑old rising star Stephan Embacher thrilled the 22,500 fans with third place.

From a German perspective Felix Hoffmann once again impressed. The Thuringian finished a strong fifth and remains on course for a podium in the overall tour standing. "The first jump still had a few problems, the second was better, even though I briefly caught on the bar at the top and was relieved in the air that the binding still held," Hoffmann said.

In the battle for victory Hoffmann could not intervene — his deficit at the halfway point was simply too large. Nikaido shared the lead at the break with Austrian Embacher. Only 1.1 points behind them was Jan Hörl, the next Austrian. Domen Prevc was in fourth and only 2.5 points shy of the two leaders.

In the final Prevc, who had suffered a painful experience with the Bergisel in qualification, had to go first. The Slovenian, who leads the Four Hills Tour by a large margin, attacked and landed at 128 metres.

Hörl, third after the first round, could not answer and fell back after a 126‑metre jump. When Nikaido flew to 128 metres the scoreboard showed 276.5 points — 0.5 more than Prevc. The Slovenian finished second, just ahead of Embacher, who recorded 127.5 metres for third place.

Hoffmann stumbles but then flies far

Felix Hoffmann nevertheless had reason to celebrate. He confirmed his strong form in Innsbruck with jumps of 126.5 and 130.5 metres and finished fifth. The Thuringian also caused a scare: at take‑off he briefly caught and practically stumbled into the inrun. Still he kept his composure and managed a long 130.5‑metre jump, moving from sixth to fifth place.

Philipp Raimund wrapped up the competition and his rather turbulent days in twelfth. On Saturday he had crashed into the barrier in the outrun; on Sunday he got stuck in the lift. None of these side incidents seemed to bother the 25‑year‑old. He produced two solid attempts (126 m / 125 m) but no big leaps and missed another top‑ten result.

Pius Paschke wants to find ease

A top‑ten finish currently seems a long way off for Pius Paschke, but at Bergisel he at least made the final. The Kiefersfelden veteran had to sweat after 119.5 metres because he narrowly lost his duel against Swiss Gregor Deschwanden (120 m). Deschwanden's 0.6‑point advantage sent him through to the final directly and left Paschke on the lucky‑loser list. Paschke reached the second round from that "detour" in 26th place but could not convince with 118 metres and eventually finished 28th. "It’s a shame, my idea is good, but the ease to implement it is missing," he said.

Geiger and Wellinger miss the final

Karl Geiger (Oberstdorf) and Andreas Wellinger (Ruhpolding) continue to bake small bread — for both the passed qualification was already a success. In the competition they managed only one jump. Geiger (121 m) missed the final by the narrowest of margins as sixth among the lucky losers; he still ended up 31st and — like national coach Stefan Horngacher — called it a "small step in the right direction."

Wellinger (37th) also dropped out after the first round. His 120‑metre jump lost the duel to Stefan Kraft (123.5 m). The distance might have been enough for a lucky‑loser spot, but Wellinger hit a bump at landing, slipped and that "shitty landing" (Wellinger's own words) hurt his style points and cost him advancement. Wellinger spoke in a Sportschau interview about the bad landing and the difficult recent weeks.

The competition was part of the Four Hills Tournament. Ren Nikaido celebrated his first World Cup victory in Innsbruck, Domen Prevc remained second and Stephan Embacher completed the podium. Felix Hoffmann was the top German with fifth place.

(Report by Sanny Stephan / Stand: 05.01.2026)