Prevc soars to 10th World Cup win of the season as she tops the podium in Hinzenbach

Nika Prevc (SLO) secured her 10th World Cup victory of the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping season as she soared to the top of the podium in Hinzenbach, Austria, on Saturday. It’s Prevc’s fifth consecutive World Cup win as she further extended her lead in the World Cup standings.

The defending Crystal Globe winner and current World Cup leader posted a combined total of 248.4 points to finish ahead of Selina Freitag of Germany (240.5 points) and home favorite Jacqueline Seifriedsberger of Austria (231.1 points).

Prevc led by 6,5 points from top-qualifier Freitag after the opening round and would extend her advantage to 7,9 after a strong second jump.

The 19-year-old Slovenian had never won a World Cup event in Hinzenbach, Austria, before as she missed out on victory during four previous appearances. For that reason, Prevc was extra pleased with her win.

Prevc enjoys the weather and the victory

“I’m happy”, Prevc said afterward. “Even though this hill is pretty hard for me, I tried to focus on the position and do my best. And yes, the sun shines (today)”, she added with a smile.

“It’s good weather this weekend, which makes my mood even better. I just enjoyed the good jumps”, Prevc said.

Prevc, who had only qualified in fifth place, continued her winning streak to further cement her place as the favorite for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, next week.

With six individual World Cup events to go, Prevc now has a 391-points lead over Katharina Schmid (GER) in the World Cup ranking.

Schmid, who had an excellent start to the season with four victories, did not get further than ninth place in Hinzenbach on Saturday.

Teammate Selina Freitag, meanwhile, is closing in on her teammate in the World ranking after a second place in Austria.

Top-qualifier Freitag in second

Germany's Freitag, who topped the qualifications earlier on Saturday, landed in second place after two strong jumps (117.7 and 122.8 points).

Just like Prevc, the German was pleased with her performance ánd the weather conditions in Hinzenbach. "It's really warm, I'm sweating a bit. Not (because) of the competition, but because of the weather,” Freitag laughed.

"I'm happy that I could show these (two) good jumps (today). I'm also really satisfied with my landings today. It's getting better and better and that's what I'm working on for the World Championships. It was a good day today.”

Home favorite Seifriedsberger secures third place

Home favorite Jacqueline Seifriedsberger (AUT) joined Prevc and Freitag on the podium in third.

"It's amazing to stand on the podium in front of my family and all the Austrian people. It's just amazing. I'm very happy to jump at home, in front of the fans. I think it's helping (towards good results)."

Seifriedsberger's teammates Lisa Eder and Eva Pinkelnig followed in fourth (228.7) and fifth (228.3) place, respectively.

Japan's Sara Takanashi moved up from eighth place after the first jump to a overall sixth place on the first day of competition in Hinzenbach.

Up next…

Competition in Hinzenbach continues on Sunday 23 February with another individual event. Qualification starts at 13.00 CET, while competition is scheduled to take place at 14.20 CET. 

After Sunday’s event, the women will head to Trondheim, Norway, for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

Hinzenbach World Cup – Program:

22 February
10.30 – Start Qualification Women’s NH
12.00 – Competition Start Women’s NH

23 February
13.00 – Start Qualification Women’s NH
14.20 - Competition Start Women’s NH

*all times are in Central European Time (CET) and are subject to change