Slovenia's Nika Prevc gave herself an early birthday present when she broke the women's ski jumping world record with a mark of 236 meters (774.3 feet) on Friday, a day after she retained her World Cup overall title.
Having secured a second crystal globe in Oslo, Prevc broke the record in Vikersund, Norway, recording the mark not once but twice -- in the first and third training round of the competition.
Prevc, who turns 20 on Saturday, flew off the ramp at a speed of more than 60 mph and landed with an expression of shock and happy disbelief as her jaw dropped when she realized she had broken the record.
She surpassed the mark that was held by Norwegian ski jumper Silje Opseth, a three-time world championship medalist who jumped 230.5 meters (756.2 feet) on the same hill in March 2024.