Ryōyū
Kobayashi
Japan
·
Ski Jumping
Date of birth | 8 November 1996 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Hachimantai |
Age | 29 |
Nationality | Japan |
Career start | 2015 |
Disciplines | Ski Jumping/Flying |
Recognised as one of the best ski jumpers to have ever lived, Ryōyū Kobayashi has not only dominated the World Cup circuit for several years but he has continued to find new ways to push the limits of what’s possible in his sport.
Born in 1996 in the city of Hachimantai in Japan's Iwate Prefecture, Ryōyū began skiing at the age of five, but took up ski jumping just a couple of years later, following the inspiration of his older brother Junshiro Kobayashi, himself a World Cup winner. He joined the Tsuchiya Home Ski Team in 2015 and made his World Cup debut in the 2015-16 season.
After three seasons spent learning his craft, Ryōyū took a massive leap forward during the 2018–19 season.
Making a splash on the World Cup circuit
He absolutely dominated the World Cup season, winning a total of 13 World Cups across all disciplines on his way to winning all six possible titles in the World Cup season: the overall title, ski flying title, Four Hills Tournament, Raw Air, Planica7 and Willingen Five.
Ryōyū's Four Hills Tournament win was especially memorable, as he became only the third jumper in history to win all four stops to sweep the tournament. He also set his personal best distance of a massive 252m during the Planica7 tournament.
The following season saw Ryōyū claim three more victories and a host of podium finishes, ending the season in third place overall. Then, following a difficult start to the 2020–21 season, the Japanese star reminded everyone of his undeniable talent with dominant victories in Poland and Slovenia.
He then carried this form into the start of the 2021–22 season, recording victories in Finland, Germany and Switzerland before winning the Four Hills Tournament for the second time, thanks to three wins from four events.
Ryōyū took this excellent form into the Winter Games in Beijing, claiming gold in the men's normal hill individual and silver in the large hill.
He consistently featured on the podium throughout the 2022-23 season, including a second-place finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. He then made the perfect start to 2024 as he became just the sixth man to win the Four Hills ski jumping tournament for a third time. That was just his warm-up for his real 2023-24 season highlight, however.
Making ski jump history
In 2024, Kobayashi travelled to remote Iceland and made history with the longest ski jump in history. He soared majestically for an incredible 291m on a specially constructed natural ramp, shattering the previous ski flying and ski jump world record by a massive 37.5m in the process.
"This experience will level up my career, this record will be my source of strength going forward," he said after successfuly landing the incredible jump.
Adding to his medal collection
During the 2024-25 season, Ryōyū won back-to-back World Cup golds on home soil in Sapporo. He continued this momentum by securing his third consecutive World Cup win in Oslo in March 2025 and then secured a bronze medal in the individual large hill event at the Nordic World Ski Championship.
In 2026, Ryōyū travelled to Italy for his second Winter Games. While he was unable to triumph in the individual competitions, he helped Japan secure bronze in the mixed team event. The same year saw him participate in the ski jumping competition, Red Bull Target Jumping, where his team came in third.
Ryōyū Kobayashi takes flight
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Ski jumper Ryōyū Kobayashi is already a legend
© Teruhisa Inoue
Ryōyū Kobayashi prepares to fly to a new ski jump record
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Ryōyū Kobayashi flew to a new world record on a special hill in Iceland
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool