Domen Prevc is close to completing a rare grand slam of the five major ski jumping titles and can also rewrite the sport’s record books on Friday and Saturday in Finland.
Slovenia’s Prevc is expected to clinch a first career World Cup trophy in Lahti. He is the reigning ski jumping and ski flying world champion, won Olympic large hill gold last month and the Four Hills in January.
Only Finland’s Janne Ahonen has managed to hold all these titles at the same time in the past, in the 1980s.
World Cup and records
Prevc has ruled the season to top the World Cup 761 points ahead of Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi with eight events left and a maximum 800 points available.
Anything else than wrapping it up in Lahti would be a surprise and Prevc has an extra incentive to do it on Friday because that would give him an unprecedented seventh World Cup win in a row.
If he wins both events in Lahti he will draw level with his brother, Peter Precv, on a record 15 season wins. If not in Lahti that record is still expected to fall because six more competitions follow.
Prevc however doesn’t appear to fancy the Lahti hill as his best career result there is 13th place.
Like a pilot
But he underlined his uniqueness again just last weekend with an extraordinary hill record 245.5 metres on the Kulm flying hill in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria.
“For me, it’s poetry when you get a tailwind under your skis. I feel like a pilot and an airplane at the same time,” Prevc said after the event, adding that “I am enjoying it a lot at the moment.”
Lahti could well see another family celebration after Prevc and his younger sister Nika won mixed team Olympic gold together last month.
Sister Nika also set for title
Nika Prevc has dominated the women’s World Cup in similar fashion than Domen the men’s side and can become only the third female jumper to win the World Cup three straight years.
She is the reigning world champion and Two Nights Tour winner but a grand slam is not possible because she missed an individual Olympic gold at the Milan/Cortina Games.
Nika Prevc is 602 points ahead at the top with 700 points still available. Her first chance comes later Thursday and the women jump again on Friday.
