Ski Jumping
Meet the legends of Red Bull Target Jumping
Five iconic names from the world of ski jumping will be leading the teams at the second edition in Poland this April. Here's everything you need to know about the captains and the athletes competing.
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Following a successful inaugural edition last year, Red Bull Target Jumping returns in 2026 to round off the winter season in Zakopane, Poland. At the world’s only team ski jumping competition focused on precision, five legends of the sport will take on the role of captain as they attempt to lead the world's best athletes to glory at Wielka Krokiew on April 1. Here’s everything you need to know about them, along with some of the high profile athletes they'll be leading.
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01
Adam Małysz
The host and creator of Red Bull Target Jumping, Adam Małysz is a legendary Polish former ski jumper, widely regarded as one of the greatest figures in winter sports. Known as “The Eagle from Wisła,” his dominance in the early 2000s sparked “Małyszmania,” turning ski jumping into a national obsession in Poland.
The Pole officially retired from ski jumping in March of 2011, but it wasn’t long before he was chasing success in a very different sport. Małysz decided to enter the world of rally driving and, in 2012, entered the gruelling Dakar Rally, finishing in 37th place overall. He would then finish 15th in 2013 and 13th in 2014.
Adam Malysz in World Cup competition
© GEPA pictures/Red Bull Content Pool
Despite his success, there is one victory that still eludes him. Having seen his team finish fourth at Red Bull Target Jumping last year – losing by just 1.5m – Małysz will be eager to add a win in Zakopane to his long list of achievements.
Career highlights
- Four World Cup titles
- Four Olympic medals
- Four individual World Championship golds
- First Pole to win the Four Hills Tournament
02
Janne Ahonen
One of Małysz's great rivals, Finland's Janne Ahonen, will face the Pole once again this year in Zakopane. A legend of ski jumping, Ahonen is one of the most successful and enduring ski jumpers in history. Known as 'Kuningaskotka' (King Eagle) and 'The Man with the Mask', he competed in seven Winter Olympic Games between 1994 and 2018 and dominated the sport for more than two decades.
Adam Malysz and Janne Ahonen will renew their rivalry in 2026
© Kimimasa Mayama / Reuters / Forum
He retired and returned three times before stepping away in 2018 and, like Malysz, he tried his hand at a new sport – enjoying success as a competitive drag racer in Finland.
Career highlights
- Two World Cup titles
- Five World Championship gold medals
- Two Olympic team silver medals
- Five-time winner of the Four Hills Tournament
03
Martin Schmitt
Former German ski jumper, Martin Schmitt, will return to Zakopane with success etched into his memory in this place. He once won two World Cup competitions at Wielka Krokiew, taking one of the two Crystal Balls for the best ski jumper in the world. Last year, he led his team to victory at the inaugural Red Bull Target Jumping, with his own jump in the captains' competition proving decisive.
Martin Schmitt
© Red Bull
A central figure in the sport’s boom in Germany in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he helped bring ski jumping into the national spotlight thanks to his great success.
Career highlights
- Back-to-back World Cup titles (1999, 2000)
- Olympic team gold in 2002
- Olympic team silver in 1998 and 2010
- Four World Championships gold medals
- 2002 Ski Flying World Champion
04
Andreas Goldberger
Andreas Goldberger, known as 'Andi', is one of Austria’s greatest ski jumpers and a defining figure of the 1990s. In 1994, he made history as the first athlete to fly beyond 200 metres – an unofficial milestone after he touched the snow on landing. In 2000, he secured an official world record with a 225-metre jump in Planica.
Last year, his tactics almost brought success at the first Red Bull Target Jumping event. Despite balancing the distances in such a way that his team reached the target of 1,000m. he ultimately had to settle for second place behind the superior Schmitt.
Andreas Goldberger is an ambassador for the Wings for Life foundation
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
Career highlights
- Three World Cup titles (1993, 1995, 1996)
- Two Four Hills Tournament titles
- Two bronze medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics
- 12 major championship medals
Since retiring, Goldberger has remained closely connected to the sport as a television expert, youth development advocate and ambassador for the Wings for Life foundation.
05
Thomas Morgenstern
Olympic champion, two-time Crystal Ball winner, world champion, winner of the Four Hills Tournament; Thomas Morgenstern has won just about everything there is to win. Yet, his impressive collection still lacks one winter triumph in Zakopane. In 2025, his team fought fiercely until the last attempt, but in the end he couldn't break Schmitt's 4m jump.
Having competed at the highest level from 2002 to 2014, Morgenstern became known for his composure under pressure and his versatility on both normal and large hills, traits which helped him to multiple accolades in his career.
Thomas Morgenstern in full flight
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
After retiring in 2014 following two serious crashes, Morgenstern transitioned into professional helicopter piloting and later founded his own aviation company in Austria.
Career highlights
- Three Olympic gold medals (one individual, two team)
- Eight World Championship gold medals
- Two-time overall World Cup winner (2008, 2011)
- 2011 Four Hills Tournament winner
Dig deeper into the world of ski jumping
06
Which athletes are competing at Red Bull Target Jumping?
The five captains of Red Bull Target Jumping 2026
© Red Bull
Having set an unofficial record at Red Bull Target Jumping a year ago, gliding to 150 metres, Slovenia's Domen Prevc will be one of the biggest stars in Zakopane on April 1. The two-time Olympic gold medal winner will also be joined by three more Olympic champions – Japan's Ryōyū Kobayashi, Norway's Marius Lindvik and Andreas Wellinger of Germany.
2023 world champion Timi Zajc of Slovenia, Polish crowd favourite Anze Lanisek and one of Germany's best athletes of the 21st century, Karl Geiger, will also be competing
The entire core of the Polish team, headed by this winter's rising star Kacper Tomasiak, will also take part, along with legends of Polish ski jumping such as Piotr Zyla, Dawid Kubacki and Maciej Kot
The athletes have been divided into four baskets and will be placed in one of the teams led by their captains, with the draw taking place in early March.
Each team will have one goal: 1,000 metres in eight attempts (plus the distance of the captain on the mobile hill).
List of participants and breakdown into baskets:
Ryōyū Kobayashi celebrates making history in 2024
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Basket 1
- Ryōyū Kobayashi (Japan)
- Domen Prevc (Slovenia)
- Anze Lanisek (Slovenia)
- Kacper Tomasiak (Poland)
- Gregor Deschwanden (Switzerland)
Basket 2
- Piotr Zyla (Poland)
- Paweł Wąsek (Poland)
- Maciej Kot (Poland)
- Dawid Kubacki (Poland)
- Aleksander Zniszczoł (Poland)
Domen Prevc won the Four Hills Tournament in 2026
© Igor Kupljenik / Zuma Press / Forum
Basket 3
- Marius Lindvik (Norway)
- Valentin Foubert (France)
- Kristoffer Sundal (Norway)
- Timi Zajc (Slovenia)
- Vladimir Zografski (Bulgaria)
Basket 4
- Tate Frantz (USA)
- Alex Insam (Italy)
- Yevhen Marusiak (Ukraine)
- Andreas Wellinger (Germany)
- Karl Geiger (Germany)
Don't miss all the action at the second edition of Red Bull Target Jumping on April 1.
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