Slovenia's Domen Prevc and Nika Prevc will start their summer season in Stams, Austria, on 19 and 20 September. The Slovenian ski federation made the announcement. Fondoitalia reports that the Stams events are Continental Cup and Intercontinental Cup competitions, while Nordic Mag refers to a Continental Cup stop. According to skispringen.com, it will be the first competition for last winter's overall World Cup winner and Olympic champion since the season finale in Planica.
A late start
Part of the world's top jumpers are competing in the Summer Grand Prix, but the 27-year-old has not entered a single competition so far this summer. Fondoitalia calls it a particularly late start for both Prevcs, since most other athletes have been competing for several weeks, including at the Summer Grand Prix events in Wisła and Courchevel.
Domen Prevc spoke at a press conference in Ljubljana where the Slovenian federation presented a new main sponsor. He said he could hardly wait to travel to Stams to compete. skispringen.com quotes him as saying "next week", while RTV SLO reported that he will get his first taste of competition in Stams in two weeks.
Six hours with Slatnar
Right after the Planica finale, Prevc spent six hours with ski maker Peter Slatnar. He said those first hours were mostly talks, followed by a little work every day after that. He said they are constantly looking for small details, and that he works "centimetre by centimetre". He called the development of skis, bindings and boots with Slatnar a privilege worth using to the full.
On the technical side, he wants to improve his take-off and his position just after the table. He said he had already made progress in explosiveness and speed-strength over the summer. According to RTV SLO, he told the press conference there were still 12 weeks until the season starts, and that the plans set back in April, including on equipment, had to be fine-tuned completely.
Ski JumpingRaimund edges Wellinger for German title, Reisch wins women's crownPrevc said a lot would be expected of him next season and that his own expectations were high too. He does not agree that staying at the top is harder than getting there. He said he had the results, data and statistics on his side, and asked why he should not keep going.
Nika Prevc and the women's team
RTV SLO reported that Nika Prevc completed her study obligations after the season ended. She said there were 14 days left until her first summer competition. She is very curious to see how it goes and will show what she is capable of at that point. In a federation statement, she said this season would definitely be fantastic. Nika Vodan will also compete in the Continental Cup, while other Slovenian women will jump in the Summer Grand Prix. Women's coach Jurij Tepeš said preparations were going to plan, with Innsbruck and Bischofshofen new on the training schedule.
Men's head coach Robert Hrgota said all his jumpers would compete until the end of summer and then complete their final preparations at home. Head of discipline Gorazd Pogorelčnik said there were 74 days left until the first winter competitions. The winter season opens in Lillehammer at the end of November.
