What’s gotten into Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi ?
Just 22, he came into this season with a grand total of one World Cup medal, a bronze from the 2017-18 season. Now, after just three weeks of the 2018-19 season, he’s the only jumper to have won a medal in each of the first five competitions!
He followed up on his double win at Ruka (FIN) last week with a third and a victory in two night competitions off the 134 m hill in Nizhny Tagil (RUS), dueling with Norway’s veteran Johann Andre Forfang, who won and was second.
“I had three good jumps today and I’m happy about it,” said Kobayashi, who is letting his jumping do the talking for him. He has a 420-285 points lead on Piotr Zyla (POL) in the World Cup after three weeks. Summaries:
FIS Ski Jumping World Cup
Nizhny Tagil (RUS) ~ 30 November-2 December 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s 134 m Hill I: 1. Johann Andre Forfang (NOR), 264.4; 2. Piotr Zyla (POL), 264.2; 3. Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN), 262.0; 4. Stephen Leyhe (GER), 252.9; 5. Stefan Kraft (AUT), 250.4. Also in the top 25: 18. Kevin Bickner (USA), 224.4.
Men’s 134 m Hill II: 1. Kobayashi (JPN), 273.1; 2. Forfang (NOR), 259.2; 3. Zyla (POL), 257.9; 4. Kamil Stoch (POL), 257.8; 5. Karl Geiger (GER), 248.7. Also in the top 26: 26. Bickner (USA), 219.4.
