After excellent performances during the summer, bad luck has struck again. Kranjec fell during a practice jump, resulting in a serious injury that needed to be operated.

But the experienced jumper from Kranj has not lost hope. Despite the broken elbow and the operation, which took place ten day ago, Kranjec has already joined fitness training. His aim is to join the World Cup competition as fast as possible; the latter is due to open on 22 November in Klingenthal. Despite the injury, what may help when delving into the new season is Kranjec's excellent track record from this summer — Kranjec was the best Slovenian jumper at the summer grand prix, finishing in third place. "Once I was also in second place total, but this final standing doesn't mean much to me. What's important is that I got the right feel in the air," said the 34-year-old before the season, commenting on his excellent jumps before the injury.

During the summer, Kranjec stood on the podium three times and finished the grand prix in third place, behind Kento Sakuyama of Japan and Kenneth Gangnes (Norway). However, the Slovenian skipped a few matches, including the last "stop", in Hinzenbach: "I'm definitely more optimistic because of these results. The most important thing is that I've found myself again and that I can remain calm, which makes further work much easier."

Tilen Jamnik, MMC; translated by K. Z.