Austria Assembles Its First-Choice Squad
The Austrian Ski Association has confirmed a full-strength roster for the Courchevel stage of the 2026 FIS Ski Jumping Summer Grand Prix, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (8–9 August) on the Praz Olympic large hill in Savoie. Stefan Kraft, Daniel Tschofenig and Jan Hörl head the men's delegation alongside Maximilian Ortner, Jonas Schuster and Stephan Embacher. On the women's side, Austria sends Hannah Wiegele and Julia Mühlbacher. The selection signals that the reigning powerhouse nation is treating Courchevel as a genuine ranking priority rather than a development outing, according to Nordic Mag.
The timing matters: the overall Grand Prix standings are still very much in flux after the opening stop, and points in Courchevel will weigh heavily on who carries momentum into the autumn competition calendar.
Nakamura Leads After Wisła Double
Japan's Naoki Nakamura arrives in the Alps as the men's overall leader, having swept both competitions in Wisła at the start of August. The 29-year-old won Saturday's event ahead of Marco Wörgötter by 5.7 points — jumping 129 and 135 metres — and then backed it up on Sunday by beating Estonia's Kaimar Vagul by 12.4 points with jumps of 128.5 and 133 metres, despite having two fewer platform choices than several rivals. The Wisła double was Nakamura's first individual Grand Prix victories and he will be the target for the Austrian favourites this weekend.
In the women's competition, Slovenia's Nika Vodan heads the overall standings after winning Sunday's second Wisła event. Ema Klinec of Slovenia took Saturday's women's competition with a 16.3-point margin over Norway's Silje Opseth.
Pagnier and France at Home
France is fielding nine athletes at Courchevel — the largest contingent it typically sends to a summer stop — with the home advantage of a familiar jump and crowd support. Men's representatives include Valentin Foubert, who finished in the top fifteen in both Wisła competitions, plus Jules Chervet, Alessandro Batby, Enzo Milesi, Ari Repellin and Anoki Pouradier among the confirmed names. The team's full composition for the home round is expected to be formally announced by the French federation before Saturday's qualification.
In the women's event, Joséphine Pagnier carries French hopes. The former World Cup podium regular entered Courchevel fourth in the overall women's standings, having finished third at Wisła on Saturday before slipping to fourth on Sunday. Emma Chervet, who broke through in Wisła last season, will be absent after rupturing her cruciate ligament in Courchevel last week during a training session — a blow that ends her summer and winter programme.
Historical and Logistical Context
Saturday and Sunday's competitions at Le Praz carry additional weight beyond the standings. This is set to be the last Grand Prix event in Courchevel before the venue undergoes modernisation as part of the infrastructure work for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. Two individual large-hill events will take place across the weekend, with the exact start times for qualification and competition to be confirmed by the FIS. The tour then moves to Rasnov (Romania) in September before concluding in Klingenthal (Germany) in October.