There are champions. And then there are legends.

Peter Prevc is an athlete who has had a profound impact on the sports field, created a ski-jumping euphoria in Slovenia, and at a young age, achieved almost everything that can be achieved in ski jumping and flying. Born in 1992, he is the eldest of five siblings and together they have created a remarkable chapter in sports history. Although he tried various sports in his younger years, including handball, swimming, athletics and football, he eventually decided on ski jumping.

First jumps 

He started his ski jumping career at the age of nine in his home village of Dolenja Vas on a ski jumping hill known as Bregarca. This 25-metre ski jump is located just a few metres from the house where he grew up. The plans for it were drawn up in the early 1950s by none other than a man of many talents: engineer Stanko Bloudek.

Professional career

Peter honed his talent and improved his skills as a member of SK Triglav Kranj. Prior to his World Cup debut in Lillehammer in the 2009/2010 season, he competed in the Junior World Championships in February 2009 and went on to dominate the European Winter Youth Olympic Festival in Szczyrk. He soon debuted at the Nordic World Ski Championships and the Ski Flying Championships and began collecting medals. His landmark achievements include his first World Cup podium in 2011, his first team victory in 2012 (with Robert Kranjc, Jurij Tepeš and Jure Šinkovec), his first solo World Championships podium in 2013 and his first solo World Cup victory in 2014.

Olympic dream

A career highlight for Peter was to represent Slovenia at the Olympics four times – in Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022 – returning home twice with a full range of Olympic medals. In Sochi, he reached the podium in the individual events, winning a silver medal on the medium hill and a bronze medal on the large hill. In Beijing, he was joined by Lovro Kos, Cene Prevc and Timi Zajc to win the team silver medal, and by Urša Bogataj, Nika Križnar and Timi Zajc to win the mixed team gold medal.

No limit

Peter racked up a string of accolades alongside numerous records. In Vikersund, he became the first person ever to fly 250 metres. In Planica in the same year (2015), he achieved the so-called perfect flight, earning the highest possible score of 20 from all the judges for his style. He won the Four Hills Tournament with a record number of points (1,139.4). In Kulm, he broke the hill record at 244 metres, and he finished his best season ever with 2,303 points, 15 victories, and 22 podium finishes. He was also named Slovenian Athlete of the Year four times in a row. In 2015, he and his brother Domen made history by becoming the first brothers to share the World Cup podium.

Lesser-known anecdotes

His remarkable journey was also accompanied by some lesser-known anecdotes. When Peter was in top form, his father, an international ski-jumping judge, was due to judge his first World Cup competition in Oslo, which did not go down well with the Norwegians. As a result, a rule was introduced prohibiting relatives of competitors from judging.

End of professional career

The thought of ending his sporting career has been quietly on Peter’s mind for some time, ever since the Beijing Olympics. But how does a top athlete like Peter say goodbye? Just as many athletes do, with one last victory. And that is exactly what he has done. He concluded his successful sporting career in the Planica valley, first with an individual victory and then with a second place in the team competition. He is etched in the hearts and memories of Slovenians as a humble man and a great athlete – in other words, he has gone down in history as a LEGEND.