Tschofenig Ends Nakamura's Perfect Start in Men's Event
Austria's Daniel Tschofenig claimed victory in the first men's event of the 2026 Summer Ski Jumping Grand Prix at Courchevel on Saturday evening, denying Japan's Naoki Nakamura a fifth consecutive Grand Prix win. Tschofenig landed at 130 metres and 129.5 metres on the Le Praz HS132 to hold off Germany's Philipp Raimund, who secured second place. Nakamura, who had swept both events in Wisła at the start of August, had to settle for third but remains the overall leader heading into Sunday's second men's competition.
France had a solid showing in the men's event with three athletes reaching the points. Valentin Foubert was the highest-placed Frenchman, finishing eleventh, continuing a consistent summer run that has put him firmly in contention for the Grand Prix standings.
Stroem Makes a Commanding Return in Women's Event
The women's opener belonged to Norway's Anna Odine Stroem, who made an emphatic first appearance of the summer season. The double Olympic champion — she won both the normal hill and large hill in Milan-Cortina in February — jumped 129 metres and 128.5 metres to win by a margin of 14.2 points over Japan's Yuki Ito, who actually flew further with jumps of 130.5 and 133 metres, but could not match Stroem's style scores. Norway's Ingvild Synnoeve Midtskogen was third, 20.7 points behind Stroem.
France's Joséphine Pagnier finished seventh. Going into Courchevel she had been placed fourth in the overall Grand Prix standings, and the seventh-place finish leaves work to do in Sunday's second women's event if she is to close the gap on the leaders.
For Yuki Ito, Saturday's runner-up result carries extra significance. The 29-year-old has announced that the 2026-27 season will be the final chapter of her career, having reached the podium for the last time at the World Cup level in Oslo-Holmenkollen in March — her tenth World Cup win. A second place at a Grand Prix stage in the opening weekend is a promising start to what will be a farewell campaign watched closely in Japan.
Youth Grand Prix Also on the Menu on Sunday
The schedule at Le Praz on Sunday includes both the second senior Grand Prix events — women's at 16:00 local time, men's at 18:00 — and the Courchevel Youth Grand Prix on the smaller hill. For the senior tour, the overall standings in both the men's and women's competitions will shift significantly depending on the afternoon's results. Nakamura leads the men's standings after Wisła but Tschofenig has served notice that the Austrian team, which also includes world cup regulars Stefan Kraft and Manuel Fettner, intends to be competitive throughout the summer.
In the women's standings, the gap between Stroem and Pagnier after two rounds of competition will be one to watch as the Grand Prix moves on to Hinterzarten later in August.
Context: Courchevel as a Proving Ground
The Le Praz jump has a long history as one of the most atmospheric venues in the summer calendar, and the 2026 edition draws added attention with the new season's form lines being established for the first time after the winter Olympic cycle. Several top-eight finishers on Saturday are expected to anchor their national teams for the opening World Cup legs in the autumn. Sunday's results at Courchevel will complete this Grand Prix stage before the circuit continues.