Photo: Tiiu Niininen
Lahti Ski Games 2025 kicked off on Thursday afternoon with the provisional competition round for Nordic Combined, followed by women’s large hill (HS130) competition. A record number of Finnish women participated in the qualification round, with a total of seven jumpers at the start gate. The young athletes had the opportunity to gain experience at the World Cup level. Julia Kykkänen and Jenny Rautionaho successfully advanced to the main competition.
The women’s ski jumping competition of the evening was won by Slovenia’s Nika Prevc, the current World Cup leader, who has been a familiar face on the top of the podium this season. Her jumps reached 129.0 and 135.5 meters. Prevc also set a new women’s hill record on the large hill in Lahti.
Germany’s Selina Freitag secured second place with jumps of 122.0 and 121.0 meters, while Canada’s Alexandria Loutitt claimed third place with jumps of 126.5 and 121.0 meters. Among the Finnish athletes, Jenny Rautionaho achieved the best result, finishing 18th with jumps of 115.0 and 112.0 meters. Julia Kykkänen placed 33rd and unfortunately did not qualify for the second round.
The total attendance for the day was 5,500. Free entry was made possible by Hämeenmaa. Special groups had also been invited, allowing them to experience the atmosphere of an international event in a calmer setting.
