"The first jump in the team event was the jump you work for and a jump worth investing in. You jump far, you land, and then you feel a rush of adrenalin," is what Peter Prevc had to say after a promising return to the ski jumping hills.
The ski jumping ace from Dolenja Vas, who excelled last winter when he won everything there was to win breaking many record along the way, decided to take a one week break from ski jumping and find some peace after a poor start to this season. He left out the ski jumping event in Wisla and returned to the World Cup circuit in the second part of the Polish tour in Zakopane. On Friday his jumps were very good.
The best individual in the team event
At Saturday's team event Peter's jumps were remarkable. He was especially pleased with his first jump, when he landed at 137,5 meters. He missed the Wielka Krokiew hill record by just three meters. After a nice telemark landing he received two 19,5 marks. He was also excellent in the second series jumping 134,5 meters, thus providing the best jumps of the day. He was by far the best individual jumper in the team event. He received a total of 297,7 points. His closest pursuer was Piotr Žyla who trailed by 11 points. The winner of the last four individual events, Kamil Stoch, trailed by almost 20 points after a mistake in the first series.
Peter Prevc would have easily won the first ski jumping event this season in Ruka, if he had not fallen after his landing. He still managed to win a podium spot, but it also turned out to be his last this season so far. He ended up in the snow after landing in the next event in Klingenthal as well, and the two falls have clearly left their mark on the athlete. Peter lost his good form. The optimism from Oberstdorf, when he started the Four Hills Tournament with confidence, quickly turned to disappointment in Bischofshofen.
If he could swap the Friday with the Sunday...
Peter Prevc returned from Zakopane in a much better mood: "Yes, I feel optimism, but above all calmness. My head was full of so many things in Bischofshofen, I couldn't believe my head could take in so much. My mind was going crazy. I now leave Zakopane much calmer, because I managed to jump with ease, enjoy myself in the air and do what I love best – jump far."
After his one-week break he was initially surprised that everything went so smooth without any problems. However, the problems came on Sunday when Peter made a mistake in the first series of the individual event, pushing him away from the top positions. In the final he climbed from 19th to 13th place. "Everyone would be really happy if I could swap Zakopane's Friday and Sunday jumps. But I was happy that the air at the jumping hill "liked me" once again. I'm happy to have been able to jump far and be carried so far. You enjoy and live for those kinds of jumps."