Slovenia's Domen Prevc wins Four Hills Tournament

Slovenian ski jumper Domen Prevc has won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament, becoming the third Slovenian to manage the feat after his older brother Peter in the 2015-16 season and Primož Peterka back in 1996-97.

The 26-year-old Slovenian first scored two consecutive victories in Germany's Oberstdorf (29 December) and Garmisch-Partenkirchen (1 January), and then achieved two second places in the Austrian leg of the tournament, in Innsbruck and in Bischofshofen, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The final event took place in front of some 12,500 spectators, with many Slovenians having travelled to the Paul Ausserleitner Hill to celebrate the expected overall victory by their compatriot.

Prevc, who is also the overall leader in the World Cup with 1,130 points, well ahead of second-placed Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan (762), has become only the third Slovenian to hoist the Golden Eagle trophy, making the accomplishment in a dominant fashion.

The "Domenator" scored a total of 1,195.6 points in the four events of the 74th iteration of the tournament to finish more than 40 points ahead of Jan Hörl of Austria, with Hörl's compatriot Stephan Embacher finishing third (1,150.61 points).

Prevc had an almost insurmountable advantage ahead of the last event in Bischofshofen, but nevertheless excelled with jumps of 138 and 138.5 metres, and was only 4.1 points behind today's winner Daniel Tschofenig of Austria, the winner of last year's tournament.

"It's a really special moment for me", Prevc said after receiving the Four Hills trophy. "It's ten years since Peter's Golden Eagle. Now, it's (the trophy) is in my hands."

"I'm overwhelmed with all the emotions, I feel amazing, super blessed. Everything is coming together right now. It's just amazing that I managed to get in the best form for the Four Hills Tournament.

"The Eagle is the result of all the hard work and dedication. Winning the Golden Eagle is a childhood dream, a childhood dream that came true. I was dreaming about this moment."

His win comes exactly ten years after his older brother Peter won the Four Hills Tournament, making them the first brothers in history with overall wins in this competition.

The current world record holder with 254.5 metres set in Slovenia's Planica last year is a greater risk-taker than Peter, who described his younger brother's jumping style as "a bit of a kamikaze".

Prevc, who received EUR 100,000 in prize money for the overall victory, said the recipe for his current success was "working consistently, persistently and hard ... from April to the first day of winter".

Photo: dpa/STA