Kobayashi claims third consecutive win of the World Cup season with victory in Oslo

Originally published in FIS Ski Jumping on March 13, 2025

Kobayashi claims third consecutive win of the World Cup season with victory in Oslo

Olympic champion Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) claimed his third consecutive World Cup victory of the season as he landed on top of the podium in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday.

The 28-year-old attained a combined total of 264.1 points to finish 10.8 points clear of Jan Hoerl (AUT). Karl Geiger (GER) landed in third, 11.7 points behind Kobayashi.

Kobayashi struggled at the start of the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping season, but returned in top form when he claimed the so-called ‘double’ in Sapporo (JPN) last month.

In Oslo, the two-time Crystal Globe winner laid the foundation for his third successive victory in the first round, with a distance of 129.5m and a total of 132.6 points to take an early 7.4 points lead over Andreas Wellinger (GER) and 9.0 points ahead of Geiger (GER).

Kobayashi further extended that lead to 10.8 points after a strong showing in the second round (127.0m and 131.5 points).

The Japanese star now leads the Raw Air Tournament, which continues in Vikersund, Norway, with the Sky Flying events this weekend.

“I’m just happy,” Kobayashi said afterward. “I have good equipment and mentally I feel strong for the competitions. I feel good.”

Kobayashi ended a 26-year wait and became the first Japanese winner in Oslo since Noriaki Kasai (JPN) claimed victory in 1999.

Hoerl jumps from fifth to second
While Kobayashi had a commanding lead, Austria’s Jan Hoerl bounced back from fifth after the first round to second place thanks to a strong outing in the final round.

The 2025 individual World silver and bronze medalist attained a total of 253.3 points for his 13th World Cup podium finish of the 2024/25 season.

Karl Geiger (GER), who had topped the qualifications earlier in the day, jumped to third place. Geiger sat in third after the first round (123.6) and held onto that position in the final round (128.8).

It's Geiger's second World Cup podium finish this season, after taking third place in Ruka, Finland, in December 2024.

Geiger saw his teammate Andreas Wellinger finish outside the podium. Wellinger, the 2025 World Normal Hill silver medalist, sat in second after the first round, but did not manage to hold onto that position. A disappointing second jump saw him land in seventh, behind Anze Lanisek (SLO), Philipp Raimund (GER) and Domen Prevc (SLO).

World Cup leader Daniel Tschofenig finished in ninth and saw his lead in the overall rankings decrease to 132 points over Jan Hoerl (AUT).

Johann Andre Forfang (NOR), a regular on the World Cup podium this season, and 2025 World Normal hill champion Marius Lindvik (NOR) were absent in Oslo due to ongoing investigations regarding their alleged involvement in illegal equipment manipulation.

NEXT UP...
Vikersund, Norway, 14-16 March - 14 March 17.00: Start Men’s Flying Hill qualification
- 15 March 10.45: Start Women’s Flying Hill competition
- 15 March 17.00: Start Men’s Flying Hill competition
- 16 March 10.45: Start Women’s Flying Hill competition
- 16 March 15.05: Start Men’s Flying Hill qualification
- 16 March 16.35: Start Men’s Flying Hill competition