Great comeback in ski flying after 15 years! Race for a record in Planica

In Planica, the competition among ski jumpers will officially begin with qualifying rounds. The atmosphere is set as athletes prepare to push their limits on the mammoth jump. This year, jumpers will include Polish stars like Paweł Wąsek, Dawid Kubacki, Kamil Stoch, Jakub Wolny, and Piotr Żyła, with Piotr making a notable return after a hiatus. The excitement around the mammoth hill jump, which has a size of 240 meters, is palpable, as achieving jumps over 200 meters is a significant milestone.

The current record, held by Ryoyu Kobayashi at 252 meters, looms large over the competition. The expectation is high, especially from Kazakh jumpers who seek to improve upon their national record of 199.5 meters set in 2019 by Sergey Tkachenko.

Having been away from the World Cup for 15 years, Slovak jumper Hektor Kapustik returns, with hopes to breathe new life into the competition. His personal best of just 134.5 meters adds to the intrigue as he enters the fray against seasoned veterans.

The competition schedules include individual contests on Friday, followed by team events on Saturday and a final showdown only for the top thirty athletes on Sunday, as the excitement and pressure build throughout the weekend at Planica.

The event promises to be a significant moment not only for the athletes but also for ski jumping fans eagerly awaiting new records and displays of athletic prowess in the world's premier ski flying competition.