Ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi soars to first World Cup win of season

Ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi notched his 31st career win on the World Cup circuit and first of the season in Wisla, Poland, on Sunday.

Kobayashi, who recently won the traditional Four Hills Tournament for the third time, had jumps of 131.0 and 139.5 meters on the 134-meter hill for 269.4 points.

The 2022 Beijing Olympics normal hill gold and large hill silver medalist placed fifth after the first round and followed with the day’s longest leap, taking full advantage of the favorable wind conditions.

“Everything came together, and I got an extra boost,” Kobayashi said of his second jump. “I flew past the hill-size point. I couldn’t help but pump my fist.”

First-round leader Stefan Kraft of Austria finished runner-up, 5.1 points back. Germany’s Andreas Wellinger was third, 7.0 behind Kobayashi.