Stefan Kraft Returns After Break with Second Place Finish in Klingenthal

Stefan Kraft made a strong comeback to the Ski Jumping World Cup, securing second place in Klingenthal after taking a brief hiatus for the birth of his first child. Kraft's performance contributed to Austria's return to the World Cup podium, ending a streak of three events without a top-three finish for the team.

Dominating the competition, Slovenia's Domen Prevc continued his impressive form, winning the event and extending his lead in the overall World Cup standings. Prevc achieved the longest jumps in both rounds, capitalizing on favorable wind conditions, and finished with a significant points advantage over his rivals. His consistent success this season is reflected by his sixth podium finish in nine competitions.

Kraft, who had missed recent events in Ruka and Wisla due to his family commitments, showed no signs of rust after a nine-day break from competition. He delivered jumps of 132.5 and 133.5 meters, which secured him second place but left him trailing Prevc, who managed outstanding efforts of 142.5 and 143 meters. The margin between the two athletes was 25.5 points.

Other Austrian competitors had mixed results in Klingenthal. Jan Hörl, after a promising start, dropped from third to sixth position in the final standings. Jonas Schuster finished eleventh, while Daniel Tschofenig, the defending overall World Cup champion, placed thirteenth. Stephan Embacher and Manuel Fettner also contributed to Austria's point tally by finishing nineteenth and twenty-third respectively.

In the women's competition, Nika Prevc from Slovenia emerged victorious, adding to her country's successful weekend. She outperformed Friday's winner, Nozomi Maruyama of Japan. Austria's Lisa Eder, who secured third place the previous day on the large hill, finished tenth in this event, missing the podium by more than 25 points. Julia Mühlbacher was Austria's next best performer, finishing seventeenth, while no other Austrian jumpers participated in the event.

Looking ahead, the women's ski jumping calendar includes a stop in Engelberg, Switzerland, before the traditional Two-Nights-Tour over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf. This will mark the final edition of the Two-Nights-Tour in its current format, as a Four Hills Tournament for women is scheduled to begin in 2026.

The results from Klingenthal underline Slovenia's continued strength in both the men's and women's competitions, while Austria's return to the podium with Kraft's performance offers renewed optimism as the season progresses.