Austria ends Slovenia’s winning run with Planica Team title

Mar 29, 2025·Ski Jumping

World Cup top-three Daniel Tschofenig, Jan Hoerl and Stefan Kraft enjoy further success, with team-mate Manuel Fettner - @NordicFocus

Crystal Globe winner Daniel Tschofenig (AUT) helped his nation claim victory in Planica (SLO), in the final Men’s Team contest of the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season.

The Austrian line-up, which also featured Manuel Fettner, Jan Hoerl and Stefan Kraft, produced an entertaining battle with Germany, before eventually securing the win with a combined total of 1749.3, from their eight jumps.

Six-time World champion Markus Eisenbichler (GER) was able to end his career with two impressive final jumps, which ensured Germany placed second, with 1720.2 pts.

The near 20,000 strong crowd, who headed to the HS240 Ski Flying Hill despite rain and cold weather conditions, were given something to cheer with the host nation, Slovenia, claiming third after attaining a total of 1707.2.

10 nations lined up for the penultimate World Cup contest of the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping campaign with Slovenia looking to extend their remarkable winning run, which stood at seven across women’s, men’s and team events, following Domen Prevc’s victory on Friday.

They were able to boast the same line-up which claimed World Championships gold at Trondheim 2025 earlier this month, the Prevc joined by Lovro Kos, Timi Zajc and Anze Lanisek.

Kos did not give the hosts the best of starts though, with 216.5m only enough to place fifth in the rankings at the end of the first set of jumps.

Tschofenig providing Austria with a slender advantage over Poland, after Piotr Zyla achieved an impressive 231m opener.

Their medal hopes soon began to slip though with team-mates unable to match the early standard he had set and Prevc helped bring Slovenia back into contention.

Andreas Wellinger (GER) briefly put his nation into the lead after Fettner’s surprisingly short 213.5m jump, before Austria’s Hoerl and Kraft made the most of challenging conditions to finish the opening round with a 10.3 point advantage over Germany.

The intensity of the rain continued to increase in the second half of the contest, which began without teams from Kazakhstan and Finland, who did not make the top-eight cut off.

Joining the lead three nations of Austria, Germany and Slovenia, were outside medal contenders Poland and Japan, as well as a youthful Norway lined-up, together with Switzerland and the United States of America.

Karl Geiger (GER), who was part of Germany’s Mixed Team World Championships gold medal winning team on the Planica hill back in 2023, delivered a second successive strong jump of 226m, with Tschofenig soon confirming it would be a two-way battle for victory.

Halfway through the second round Poland led Slovenia in the hunt for bronze, with Austria’ advantage over rivals Germany down to just 0.6pts.

Conditions would not allow hill record holder Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) to challenge his mark of 252m, but he would land the furthest jump of the day, with 235m, as Japan placed fifth behind Poland.

Lanisek’s 221.5m jump in the opening round was short by his usual high standards, but he was much improved in the second and 234.5m, which scored 233.6, ensured the host nation would be able to celebrate podium success.

Leaders Austria would be the last to leap from the hill in the final round, but before Kraft had the chance to do so, the friends and family of retiring Eisenbichler gathered at the bottom of the hill to cheer the great German on during the final competitive action of his career.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic team bronze medal winning ski jumper celebrated wildly after landing a second successive jump of 223.5m, which soon confirmed Germany’s place on the podium.

Kraft, who won the 2023/24 Crystal Globe, only needed a mark of 207m for victory and he soared past that before hitting 230m and securing Austria the win.

The leading men’s field will return to the HS240 Ski Flying Hill for one final contest on Sunday morning to close out at the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping season.