Ski Jumping
Red Bull Target Jumping: Martin Schmitt seals perfect 1,000 victory
Martin Schmitt’s team made it two wins in a row, successfully defending their title at the second edition of Red Bull Target Jumping. Here’s how the action unfolded.
Red Bull Target Jumping – a playful twist on traditional ski jumping that brings together some of the sport’s biggest names – returned for its second year. Twenty elite athletes, divided into five teams, took on a deceptively simple challenge: achieve a combined distance as close as possible to 1,000m by aiming for a precise target.
Key points:
- Martin Schmitt and his team came out on top after a fiercely contested battle. “It was incredibly tight – really intense. The heavy snowfall made conditions unpredictable, especially when choosing speeds and gates. But in the end, we got it just right,” said Schmitt.
- Adam Małysz finished second with 999m, followed by Thomas Morgenstern (998.5m), Andreas Goldberger (998m) and Janne Ahonen (996.5m). Ahonen’s team led for much of the competition and hit the target twice, but a slightly weaker final jump cost them the win.
- Before the main event, the captains competed on a small, portable K4 hill, with those results counting towards the final standings. Schmitt once again came out on top, landing exactly on 4m – matching his performance from the previous year.
- Five jumps hit the target exactly: Gregor Deschwanden (127m), Daniel Tschofenig (140m), Dawid Kubacki (110m), Karl Geiger (124m) and Marius Lindvik (125m).
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Watch the replay
Red Bull Target Jumping livestream
Taking ski jumping back to its roots, this competition sees five teams attempt to jump a total of 1,000m.
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What happened at Red Bull Target Jumping 2026?
Schmitt delivers a perfect thousand
Heading into the final round, the competition was finely balanced. Three teams were tied on 875.5m, with Schmitt’s team just half a meter behind. It set up a dramatic finale.
Then came the decisive moment. Marius Lindvik delivered a perfectly judged 125m jump, hitting the target precisely and lifting Schmitt’s team ahead of their rivals in the closing stages.
“We’ve done it!” Schmitt celebrated after the jump.
Shortly afterwards, former racing driver Robert Kubica – acting as the event’s Precision Ambassador – stepped in with the option to award a ‘Joker’, allowing teams to add or subtract up to 3m from their total.
“I don’t think I need to ask,” Kubica joked.
Team captains – friends as well as competitors
© Dominik Czerny / Red Bull Content Pool
Prevc flies furthest despite tough conditions
Domen Prevc once again delivered the longest jump of the event. A year earlier, he had set an unofficial hill record with a huge 150.5m effort, and expectations were high once again.
However, heavy snowfall limited the chances of another record-breaking flight. Even with an aggressive early attempt encouraged by captain Goldberger, conditions made long jumps risky. Prevc still managed 141.5m – the longest distance of the day.
Andreas Wellinger powers off the ramp
© Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Wellinger aims for the target
© Marcin Kin / Red Bull Polska
Ryōyū Kobayashi captures the thrill of flight
© Lukasz Nazdraczew / Red Bull Content Pool
Janne Ahonen and Robert Kubica compare notes
© Marcin Kin / Red Bull Polska
The atmosphere was fantastic. We didn’t win, but we had fun
Żyła misses the mark but keeps the mood light
Piotr Żyła once again found himself furthest from the target. After missing by nearly 30m the previous year, he reduced that margin to 8.5m – though it still left him last in this category.
“Aiming isn’t really my strength, but I’m improving every year,” he joked.
Despite the competitive edge, the atmosphere remained relaxed throughout. Many participants highlighted the event’s lighter format as a welcome change at the end of the season – a chance to enjoy the sport in a more informal setting.and made them not want to risk very long flights, so "Domenator" Prevc squeezed out "only" 141.5m, which was still the longest flight in Zakopane on Wednesday.
Winning is sweet victory for Martin Schmitt's team
© Marcin Kin / Red Bull Polska
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Reactions from Red Bull Target Jumping
Martin Schmitt
On team selection: “I had the chance to pick most of the team again. Marius Lindvik was the new addition, and I’m really pleased he joined us. He’s in great form and thrives under pressure – exactly what we needed for that final jump.”
On tactics: “We discussed who should go last and agreed on Marius. It was a risk, but if you want to win, you have to take one. Andreas Wellinger did brilliantly last year, but Marius had the confidence we needed this time.”
On the competition: “It was incredibly close. The snow made everything harder to judge, but we’re professionals – we know how to handle it.”
Janne Ahonen
On the atmosphere: “I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was fantastic. We didn’t win, but that wasn’t the main thing – we had fun.”
On the result: “We started strongly and stayed close to the target until the final jump. It’s not easy. If I come back next year, I’ll have more experience and hopefully it will be easier.”
Janne Ahonen’s team had fun, despite not winning
© Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool
Marius Lindvik
On the event: “It’s great fun – different and more difficult than I expected, but we really enjoyed it.”
On the final jump: “I felt I was going slightly too far, so I adjusted in the air to hit the target. It’s much harder to aim precisely than to simply jump as far as possible.”
Andreas Wellinger
On the team: “We had a great strategy and a brilliant atmosphere. Two editions, two wins – we’ll see what happens next year, but I’d love to make it three in a row.”
On the format: “It’s very competitive but also a lot of fun. It’s different from traditional events and a great way to end the season.”
Ryōyū Kobayashi seeks his mark
© Lukasz Nazdraczew / Red Bull Content Pool
Robert Kubica
On the concept: “It’s a fantastic idea – letting athletes do what they love with less pressure. Of course, there’s always focus and tension, but this format allows them to enjoy it more and share that enjoyment with fans.”
The podium: a fanfare for the winning teams
© Dominik Czerny / Red Bull Content Pool
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Red Bull Target Jumping 2026 results
1. Team Martin Schmitt - 1000m
- Target hits: 2 | Captain K4 jump: 4m
- Line-up: Anze Lanisek (Slovenia), Dawid Kubacki (Poland), Marius Lindvik (Norway), Andreas Wellinger (Germany)
2. Team Adam Małysz - 999m
- Target hits: 0 | Captain K4 jump: 3.5m
- Line-up: Piotr Zyla (Poland), Klemens Joniak (Poland), Vladimir Zografski (Bulgaria), Yevhen Marusiak (Ukraine)
3. Team Thomas Morgenstern - 998.5m
- Target hits: 1 | Captain K4 jump: 3.5m
- Line-up: Ryōyū Kobayashi (Japan), Paweł Wąsek (Poland), Daniel Tschofenig (Austria), Tate Frantz (USA)
4. Team Andreas Goldberger - 998m
- Target hits: 0 | Captain K4 jump: 3m
- Line-up: Domen Prevc (Slovenia), Aleksander Zniszczoł (Poland), Valentin Foubert (France), Alex Insam (Italy)
5. Team Janne Ahonen - 996.5m
- Target hits: 2 | Captain K4 jump: 3m
- Line-up: Gregor Deschwanden (Switzerland), Maciej Kot (Poland), Kristoffer Sundal (Norway), Karl Geiger (Germany)