Trondheim 2025: Ski Jumping Men-To-Watch

The best male ski jumpers from across the globe will aim to add to their array of Olympic, World, continental and national honors when they unite for the 44^th edition of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Trondheim 2025.

The 2024/25 campaign has already delivered high-drama and now, between 1 March and 8 March, fans in Norway – together with those watching remotely – will be treated to eight days of high-class male ski jumping action. 

There have been nine different World Cup winners on the men’s side of the FIS Ski Jumping circuit this season, but only one can top the standings and currently doing so, by a pretty clear margin, is Daniel Tschofenig (AUT).

He will undoubtedly be among the favourites in both the Normal and Large Hill contests, together with his Austrian colleagues in the Mixed as well as the Men’s Team events.

However, there are a host of other contenders, including home-favourite Johann Andre Forfang (NOR), who will be looking to delivered statement wins less than a year from the next Olympic Winter Games, Milano-Cortina 2026.

DANEIL TSCHOFENIG (AUT) – Two-time European Games champion

To describe his season as something of a ‘breakthrough’ would be something of an understatement. 

He attained his first individual top-three finishes in the 2022/23 campaign, but was without an individual win until the season; Tschofenig has since attained eight. 

In January the 22-year-old dramatically ended a 10-year-wait for an Austrian winner of the prestigious Four Hills Tournament, with his maiden Golden Eagle.

Tschofenig currently holds a 183-point advantage at the top of the overall standings, but his rivals do have an element of hope given with the European Games gold medalist missing the podium in both legs of the Sapporo World Cup in Japan, ahead of Trondheim 2025.

He is far from the only Austrian ski jumping medal contender at Trondheim 2025 though, in fact he one of at least three major prospects for the nation who have made significant improvements since finishing third in the team event at the 2023 Worlds.

JAN HOERL (AUT) – Olympic, World and European medalist

There is very little in the sport this highly-decorated Austrian has yet to win, but World gold is a noticeable absence from his honors list and Trondheim 2025 could represent his best chance to date of ending that run.

While Hoerl has ‘only’ attained two World Cup victories in 2024/25, he is one of the most consistent performers, attaining 14 podium finishes in 23 individual races so far. 

Only a slight landing error denied him the Four Hills Tournament title in his homeland in early January and he is currently second in the overall standings with 13 podium finishes, which includes nine second place finishes.

STEFAN KRAFT (AUT) – Three-time World gold and Olympic champion

18 World championship medals, including four individual gold medals, three overall World Cup crowns, a Four Hills success and an Olympic team gold from Beijing 2022, means Kraft will – one day – be able to retire as one of the sport’s most decorated stars.

He is far from finished though and the 31-year-old reigning Crystal Globe winner would dearly love to add to his honours list with further success at Trondheim 2025.

In truth his form this season has been ‘patchy’ with just two victories to date, following 13 last season and five the year before.

He was well-placed to win the Four Hills Tournament in January but was extremely unlucky with the weather while heavily impacted his final jump and he has not placed in the top-three since that morale-denting result.

On his day though, he can beat anyone and Kraft will be keen to prove that once again and salvage something from an otherwise challenging season.

JOHANN ANDRE FORFANG (NOR) - Olympic and World team champion

Almost a decade ago the then young Norwegian made a startling rise within the sport, claiming third in the overall World Cup standings and an individual Olympic silver medal, together with team gold, at PyeongChang 2018.

However, he then suffered an almost equally dramatic decline and endured a five-year period without an individual top-three World Cup finish before delivering a sensational victory in Willingen (GER) last year.

Ahead of his home World Championships Forfang admitted to FIS that he had perhaps taken success ‘for granted’ during the early part of his career, but insists the lessons he has learned in the subsequent seasons have made him ‘more humble’ and appreciative.

He is a big fan of the hills at the Gransen Ski Centre, which host the ski jumping action during Trondheim 2025, where he is desperate to land the title in his home nation, something he has dreamed about since he was a child.

Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) - Olympic and two-time Crystal Globe winner

Individual Olympic gold and silver medals at Beijing 2022, together with two World Cup Crystal Globes and three Four Hills Golden Eagle crowns has helped propel the Japanese jumping into sporting superstardom back in his homeland.

The 28-year-old is though still seeking one major title, that of World Champion and he is desperate to add that honor to his collection at Trondheim 2025.

A few weeks ago many would have predicted that looked a tall-order given he had so far failed to claim a single podium place during the 2024/25 World Cup season.

However, he dramatically ended that run with two wins on his home hill in Sapporo and entered the Worlds full of confidence.

Other male Ones-to-Watch:

Pius Paschke (GER) made a stunning start to the season, with the veteran claiming first and second in Lillhammer (NOR) before a strong run which included five further podium finishes in the next six individual World Cup events.

However, following the last of those, a hat-trick completing success in his homeland at Titisee-Neustadt (GER) on 15 December, the 34-year-old has gone 13 races without a top-three result and has missed the cut for the second round three times.

Countryman Andreas Wellinger (GER) is a seasoned-champion with four Olympic medals in his collection, including individual Normal Hill gold at PyeongChang 2018.

He has attained just one win so far during the 2024/25 campaign, but that success proved his enduring class and with three three-time individual World silver medals, he would love to finally secure a gold, to add to his team successes. 

Reigning Olympic champion Marius Lindvik (NOR) will certainly have home support on his side, as will team-mate Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal (NOR), who both have podium potential.

Gregor Deschwanden (SUI) and Maximilian Ortner (AUT) are two other ski jumpers capable of rivalling the very best in the sport.

Keep an eye-out too for a trio of Slovenian men; Anze Lanisek, Timi Zajc and Domen Prevc, all three have placed on the World Cup podium this season.

Trondheim 2025 - FIS Nordic World Ski Championships (NOR) - Program:

28 February
14.00 – Competition Start Women’s NH
1 March
17.00 – Competition Start Women's Team NH
20.30 – Start Qualification Men’s NH
2 March
17.00 – Competition Start Men's NH

5 March
16.00 – Competition Start Mixed Team LH
6 March
16.20 – Competition Start Men's Team LH
20.30 – Start Qualification Women's LH
7 March
12.15 – Start Qualification Men's LH
16.15 – Competition Start Women's LH
8 March
15.45 – Competition Start Men's LH

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