In a shocking finish, Germany’s Philipp Raimund won the men’s individual normal hill contest during his Olympic debut at Milan Cortina 2026. Raimund wowed the judges with his first jump to earn 135.6 points — the highest score in the first round. He followed up with a gravity-defying 106.5-meter (approximately 349-foot) jump to clinch gold in the final round.

"It feels absolutely amazing. It is the biggest achievement of my life, the best day of my life so far," Raimund said of winning the Olympic title. He has never won a World Cup event. "I am extremely proud of myself that I could do two amazing jumps and stand on top at the end. I am really, really, really proud."

Poland's Kacper Tomasiak glided past the field to take 2nd and win his country's first medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. His final jump tied with Switzerland's Gregor Deschwanden's for the farthest jump of the day at 107 meters, the same length as the hill’s in-run.

"It is a dream coming true. I wasn’t really expecting that at my first Olympics," Tomasiak said. "I’m a little surprised, but very happy. I jumped really good."

Deschwanden tied with Japan’s Ren Nikaido to claim Olympic bronze. This was the first time that four athletes have shared a podium in Olympic ski jumping history.

"I’m really happy to have this medal on the normal hill. I could not imagine we would have the same points for a medal," Ren said of tying with Deschwanden.

Ren's search for gold isn't over. He's still confident about his chances at winning the Olympic title in the men's individual large hill contest on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Austrian heavy hitters Stephan Embacher, Daniel Tschofenig and Stefan Kraft struggled to adjust to the normal hill. Twenty-year-old Embacher, considered the new face of Austrian ski jumping, had a shaky first jump that cost him crucial points heading into the final jump, which earned 136.2 — the third highest jump score of the day. Tschofenig and Kraft, a ski jumping veteran, both had difficulty with their form. Embacher led the Austrians with his 7th-place finish.

Tomasiak's large jump in the second round pushed famed Slovenian Domen Prevc out of medal contention. He finished 6th. Prevc is the gold medal favorite in the large hill event. He and his sister, Nika Prevc, who earned silver in the women's normal hill event Saturday, could help Slovenia land on the podium during the mixed team event on Feb. 10.

The U.S. earned its best Olympic finish since Kevin Bickner's 25th-place finish at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Americans Jason Colby and Tate Frantz finished 20th and 21st. Bickner placed 33rd.

Men's Individual Normal Hill

🥇Philipp Raimund (GER)
🥈Kacper Tomasiak (POL)
🥉Nikaido Ren (JPN)
🥉Gregor Deschwanden (SUI)