Ryoyu Kobayashi is back in full force
Aug 22, 2019·Ski Jumping
FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix 2019, fifth leg after Wisla (POL), Hinterzarten (GER), Courchevel (FRA) and Zakopane (POL). Only 46 athletes were participating on Thursday in Hakuba (JPN), so there was no qualification necessary and a third training round was carried out instead. The outstanding ski jumper of last winter, Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan, made his first appearance this summer on the HS 131 1998 Olympic hill.
And Ryoyu Kobayashi, who won 13 World Cups last winter, is as strong as ever. On Wednesday he won a domestic competition in Hakuba (Results of Wednesday's competition >>) ahead of his older brother Junshiro, today Ryoyu then showed the entire field that he is the top contender in the two competitions on Friday and Saturday.
With jumps of 133 m and 134.5 m Kobayashi had by far the longest jumps in the second and third training round today and it is obvious that he is in the same shape as last winter - in top shape.
Ryoyu Kobayashi was not the only Japanese who presented himself strong in today's official training session. Those four athletes of the team of head coach Hideharu Miyahira, who won the team event in Zakopane recently, proved once again that they have to be reckoned with in Hakuba. Taku Takeuchi also showed a surprisingly good performance in the training rounds two and three.
For the Polish team, Andrzej Stekala and Klemens Muranka posted strong jumps. Simon Ammann and Killian Peier also have to be reckoned with when it comes to the fight for the top spots, the same applies to young Norwegian Andreas Granerud Buskum and Slovenia's Jernej Damjan
Only two athletes are representing Germany: Pius Paschke and Martin Hamann took the trip to Japan to compete in Hakuba together with the new coach Andreas Wank.
Friday's competition starts at 11:30 am CET (6:30 pm LOC).
