Prevc will look to take the lead at the World Cup meet in Japan

Boštjan Reberšak's sport story

20. januar 2014 ob 18.31 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

Prevc will look to take the lead at the World Cup meet in Japan Foto: EPA

Slovenia's national ski jumping team kicked off its Olympic season with a men's team win and a third pace for Jurij Tepeš at Klingenthal. As the season continued the team saw a drop in results. However their good physical condition bore fruit in the beginning of 2014.

In the last couple of seasons the best ski jumpers in the world gained a good advantage in the overall world cup standings before the season’s central events. However this year, after the event in Poland, we have the top three jumpers less than 100 points apart, while the top six are apart by less than 200 points. Most ski jumpers are already thinking about the Olympics.
Because of this many national teams and main favourites have decided to skip the world cup meet at the end of the week in Japan. Slovenia on the other hand is heading towards the Far East with its best jumpers.
Coach Goran Janus argues that jumpers can only progress if they're in a rhythm of competition. On the other hand he adds that traveling to Japan doesn't really take longer than traveling to Zakopane, Poland. The only difference is that his ski jumpers won't be sitting in a van, but on an airplane. They'll also have the chance to get away from the public eye. "The trip to Japan is most welcoming. We'll have six days of peace from journalists and others, so I'm very much looking forward to it," said ski jumper Peter Prevc.
Prevc is currently one of the hottest jumpers in the ski jumping circuit. In the last five ski jumping meets he won 60% of all his points so far, winning a spot on the podium 4 times. A change of environment will suit him well. The lead position in the overall world cup standings is up for grabs, although it's no guarantee for success at the upcoming Olympic Games.
But Peter could arrive at the Olympics as the first ever Slovenian to also be the leading ski jumper of the winter. Primož Peterka finished the Olympic season in 1998 in championship style, although he didn't shine before or during the Winter Olympics in Nagano. With his results Peter is reminding us of Peterka's championship season. However Peter Prevc's path of reaching his top-level form has been different, as is the situation in which he continues to thrill his coach and all Slovenian fans of the sport. Together with the other jumpers he sets new Slovenian milestone every year. On Sunday he also confirmed the Olympic spot for Slovenia's national team. Apart from the four jumpers Hvala, Tepeš, Kranjec and Prevc, also traveling to Sochi will be jumper Jernej Damjan.