For the average sports fan, the Olympics are an opportunity for exposure to sports that aren’t otherwise a regular part of the global conscience. During the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games, arguably the unsung star has been ski jumping, albeit for somewhat controversial reasons pertaining to the surface area of the skin-tight bodysuits that the athletes wear.
The slightly incomprehensible scandal could place an extra spotlight on today’s Men’s Ski Jumping Super Team competition. In this event, 17 teams of two athletes each will launch themselves down a 141-meter hill and off a ramp, with points awarded for both length and style by a panel of judges. The trial round is already underway, with the teams set to jump again three times for points. The top 12 teams will advance to the final, set to begin at 2:31 p.m. ET (8:31 p.m. local).
Japan, a dominant force in freestyle skiing and snowboarding as of late, is a -135 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to take home the gold, which would be its fifth gold medal of these Games and move it past the United States for third place in the overall medal table. Slovenia (+300) and Austria (+350) have the next-best odds of claiming gold.
Men’s Ski Jumping Super Team prediction, pick
One of the sport’s breakout stars this season has been Ren Nikaido, who ranks third in the World Cup standings so far after finishing 19th last season. He’s finished second in each of his last two World Cup Large Hill events, and he’s already claimed three medals these Games: a silver in Large Hill, a bronze in Normal Hill, and a bronze in the Normal Hill mixed team competition. Nikaido’s teammate, Ryoyu Kobayashi, is the reigning gold medalist from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, though he finished just sixth in the individual Large Hill competition at these Games. All in all, he ranks second in the World Cup standings and has a pair of Large Hill wins already.
But while Japan has the most well-rounded team, the single best ski jumper hails from Slovenia. Domen Prevc pipped Nikaido to the gold in the Large Hill competition, coming up with a massive 154.9 in the second jump to overcome the 7.0-point gap that Nikaido had opened up after the first jump. Slovenia also won gold in the mixed team competition and won the World Cup Men’s Large Hill competition in Trondheim, Norway in 2025. His teammate Anze Lanisek struggled in the individual competition, finishing just 30th, but he ranks fourth on the World Cup and already has three individual Large Hill wins. He jumped just one meter shorter than Prevc during the mixed team event, as far as Nikaido, and farther than Kobayashi.
Jan Hoerl is the star of the Austrian team, and he’s in good form, having finished fifth in the Large Hill competition. Austria also won the gold in this event in 2022 and silver during last winter’s World Championships. Hoerl has ranked in the top seven in each of the last three World Cup seasons and thrice has finished second in Large Hill. His teammate, Stephan Embacher, is one of the sport’s up-and-coming stars, as he’s just 20 years old and just finished seventh in Large Hill. Embacher ranks second in the World Cup standings and has finished second in individual Large Hill competition once. During the mixed team competition, Hoerl’s 103.5-meter jump was actually farther than even Prevc’s.
It obviously wouldn’t be a surprise if any of the three teams take home gold, but Japan’s -135 odds are just a little bit too short for me to take. Prevc is clearly the best ski jumper in the world, and while Lanisek had a rough individual competition, his peak is every bit as high as Prevc’s and Nikaido’s. I’ll take Slovenia to take home its third gold of these Games.
