Slovenia's Domen Prevc captures ski jumping gold on large hill at Milan Cortina Games

PREDAZZO, Italy (AP) — Trailing going into the final ski jump on the men's large hill, Domen Prevc didn't sweat the pressure as he tried to tap into his inner child that learned to love soaring through the air.

“I was just here to play and enjoy it, have fun,” he said. "I was like, ‘Do your thing, do your best, enjoy the jump and feel the air.’”

The Slovenian knew he'd had a perfect takeoff and enjoyed the flight before landing a hill record of 141.5 meters (464 feet) to capture his second gold medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics and make more history for his famous ski jumping family.

Japan’s Ren Nikaido won silver, his third medal of the games, and Kacper Tomasiak of Poland won bronze, his second medal on a rainy, cold night.

All three are first-time Olympians, but Prevc has a pedigree.

He became the fourth Prevc sibling to win an Olympic medal when he took gold in the mixed team event Tuesday with his sister, Nika. The two became the first brother and sister to win a ski jumping medal in the same Olympics.

His win Saturday, though, was the first individual Olympic gold for the family.

Prevc entered as the clear favorite. He is the defending world champion on the large hill, has dominated the event this season and holds the distance record.

But he was trailing Nikaido going into the final round. Norway’s Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal was in third.

Prevc needed a big jump to overcome a 7-point deficit and came through.

Nikaido, who won two bronzes — on the men's normal hill and in mixed team — jumped last and came up 5 meters (about 16 1/2 feet) short of Prevc's mark.

“I’m mad at myself and I’m very disappointed that I couldn’t win the gold medal,” Nikaido said.

Tomasiak, who is in his rookie year on the World Cup circuit and stunned with a silver on the normal hill, knocked Sundal off the podium with his second jump.

“I managed to jump good when it was most important,” Tomasiak said.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Domen Prevc, of Slovenia, celebrates after his final round jump during the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Ren Nikaido, of Japan, soars through the air during his first round jump of the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Italian Army soldiers on the steps of the ramp watch Domen Prevc, of Slovenia, soaring through the air during his first round jump of the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Kacper Tomasiak, of Poland, soars through the air during the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ren Nikaido, of Japan, reacts after landing his first round jump during the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Domen Prevc, of Slovenia, reacts after his final round jump of the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Silver medalist Ren Nikaido, of Japan, gold medalist Domen Prevc, of Slovenia, and bronze medalist Kacper Tomasiak, of Poland, pose on the podium at the end of the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Italian Army soldiers on the steps of the ramp watch Domen Prevc, of Slovenia, soaring through the air during his first round jump of the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Thursday issued a ruling that effectively removed the head of the country’s main opposition party by annulling a 2023 congress that elected him.

The move deals a serious blow to the beleaguered Republican People’s Party, or CHP, as it struggles under waves of legal cases targeting its members and elected officials.

An appeals court in Turkey’s capital Ankara declared the CHP congress that picked Ozgur Ozel as chairman to be null, ordering that he should be replaced by his predecessor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Last year, a lower court ruled against claims of irregularities and misconduct surrounding Ozel’s election but Thursday’s decision overturned the original verdict.

The ruling led to frantic meetings at the CHP’s Ankara headquarters, further threatening the opposition’s chances of unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after more than two decades in office. Large crowds gathered outside the office block and police erected barriers.

The next presidential election is due in 2028 but Erdogan can call for an early vote. His main challenger, the CHP mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, has been imprisoned since March last year and is currently on trial on corruption charges.

The appeals court's decision suspends Ozel and members of the party’s executive board from their duties. They will be “provisionally” replaced by Kilicdaroglu and those who held office before the November 2023 congress.

In comments to broadcaster TV100, Kilicdaroglu called for party members to remain calm. “Our party is a very large party and it will solve its own problems internally,” he said. The 77-year-old was removed following a 13-year tenure as leader, during which the CHP failed to win any national elections.

Ozel, meanwhile, attempted to rally supporters.

“I am not promising you a path to power through a rose garden,” he posted on X following the ruling. “I am promising you the ability to endure suffering but never surrender. I am promising you honor, dignity, courage and struggle!”

The CHP is expected to challenge Thursday’s ruling in the Supreme Court in the coming days.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, who oversaw several cases against the CHP in his former role as Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, described the court’s ruling as one that “reinforces our citizens’ trust in democracy.”

Many observers have said that the legal cases against the CHP — mostly centered on corruption allegations — are politically motivated and aimed at neutralizing the party ahead of the next election. The government, however, insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.

Erdogan has ruled Turkey, first as prime minister and then as president, since 2003. His electoral record suffered a serious blow in 2019 when the CHP seized control of several major cities in local elections. In Istanbul, Imamoglu emerged as a popular and charismatic figure that many felt could successfully topple Erdogan.

FILE - Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel gestures to party members during his speech during a CHP convention, in Ankara, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ali Unal, File)

FILE - Turkish CHP party leader and Nation Alliance's presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, center, joins legislators elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as they attend their first parliamentary session, in Ankara, Turkey, June 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Ali Unal, File)