A Commanding Start to the Summer Circuit
Japan's Naoki Nakamura has established himself as the dominant force in the 2026 FIS Ski Jumping Summer Grand Prix after sweeping both men's events at the opening stop in Wisla, Poland, on August 1 and 2. The 29-year-old jumped 129 and 135 metres on day one to claim victory, then produced the two best jumps of the entire weekend on day two to complete what was, remarkably, his first individual triumph on the summer Grand Prix circuit. He left Wisla atop the overall standings and has not relinquished the lead since.
After the second stop in Courchevel, France, held on August 8 and 9, Nakamura's points total stands at 292. Austria's Daniel Tschofenig, who won the first men's event at Courchevel on August 8, sits second with 200 points. Swiss jumper Gregor Deschwanden is third on 181, with Germany's Philipp Raimund fourth at 160. Nakamura's advantage over the field is the largest any competitor has enjoyed at this stage of recent summer series, and a clean run through the remaining stops would deliver Japan's men a historic overall title.
Ito Takes the Women's Lead After Courchevel
The women's competition has produced an equally compelling narrative. Yuki Ito of Japan won the second women's event of the Courchevel weekend on August 9, jumping 127.5 and then 125 metres to outclass her rivals and seize the overall lead in the standings. Ito's victory came at the expense of the Slovenian pair — Ema Klinec and Nika Vodan — who had dominated the early rounds. Klinec had won the first women's event in Wisla and the opening event at Courchevel; Vodan claimed the second Wisla event. With Ito now atop the standings, Japan holds the lead in both the men's and women's Summer Grand Prix simultaneously — a combination the series has rarely seen.
Former French jumper Joséphine Pagnier, who recently switched federation to compete for Norway, has been a consistent presence in the top fifteen and collected points in all completed events. Her federation move adds an intriguing sub-plot to the European competition, with Norway gaining an experienced contender midway through her career.
Predazzo and the Olympic Hill Next
The Summer Grand Prix's fourth stop is scheduled for September 18–20 in Predazzo, Italy. The hill at Predazzo was the stage for ski jumping at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in February and will now host its first top-level FIS competition since the Games concluded. The return to the Olympic venue comes at a time when Japan's jumpers hold both overall leads, meaning the Predazzo round carries extra significance for the series narrative heading into the October finale rounds.
The 2026 Summer Grand Prix runs to six stops in total, with the final two events in October adopting a hybrid format. If Nakamura sustains his current pace, he will arrive at the World Cup season opener in October as the clear benchmark in men's ski jumping — a position Japan has not occupied at this point in the calendar for several years. For Ito, the remaining three rounds will test whether her Courchevel form translates to more competitive Slovenian conditions as the series moves toward its conclusion.