Newly crowned Olympic champions Anna-Odine Stroem of Norway and Nika Prevc of Slovenia headline the women's ski jumping World Cup in Hinzenbach, Austria, following the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The event features other Olympic medalists competing on the normal hill, where Prevc defends her title from last year. Strong contenders from host nation Austria aim to challenge the leaders.
The Hinzenbach World Cup marks the resumption of the FIS ski jumping circuit after the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, drawing top athletes to the Austrian venue. Anna-Odine Stroem, who made history as the first woman to secure double individual gold in the normal and large hill events, leads the Norwegian contingent. Her teammate Eirin Maria Kvandal, with individual and team silver from the Olympics, arrives in form after victories in the two most recent World Cups in Willingen, Germany.
Nika Prevc enters as the defending champion on the normal hill, fresh from winning the Slovenian National Championships on Wednesday. At the Olympics, she earned individual silver and bronze alongside a mixed team gold. Reflecting on her experience, Prevc said, “I learned a lot and it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, but the rollercoaster never crashed!” She holds a nearly 500-point lead in the overall standings with nine events remaining. A win in Hinzenbach could position her for a third Crystal Globe, while a double victory would match the season record of 15 wins, set by Sara Takanashi in 2013/14 and Prevc herself last season. The site holds special memories for Prevc, who achieved her first World Cup podium there in 2023 at age 17.
Stroem aims to emulate Beijing 2022 Olympic champion Ursa Bogataj, who won her first post-Games World Cup. Nozomi Maruyama of Japan, another Olympic individual medalist, joins the competition. From the host nation, Lisa Eder seeks to narrow the gap to Maruyama in the Crystal Globe race; Eder notched her first individual podium in Hinzenbach in 2022 and has two second-place finishes in Villach this season.
Austrian jumper Julia Muehlbacher expressed enthusiasm for the home event: “Home World Cups are always very important to us and are something special. With Hinzenbach and Villach, we have two small hills on the calendar where we know we can jump well and be dangerous for our competitors.” She added, “I know Hinzenbach very well. We were there often as children. It's a great facility... The hill is very small, so it's important to ski cleanly from top to bottom.”
