Japanese joy after season-opening Ski Jumping World Cup win

Japan, led by reigning Olympic champion Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN), made an impressive start to their FIS Ski Jumping campaign with a hard-fought Mixed Team victory at the season-opening World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR).

Kobayashi, together with his team-mates Nozomi Maruyama, Ren Nikaido and Yuki Ito, secured what was only their nation’s second World Cup victory in the history of the Mixed Team event, with a combined score of 1034.00 points.

They would eventually attain a point gap of 8.9pts from long-time rivals – and 2025 World Championship silver medallists – Slovenia.

Austria, without men's Crystal Globe winner Daniel Tschofenig, were a further 1.2 points behind.

The team of Julia Muehlbacher, Stefan Kraft, Lisa Eder, as well as Jan Hoerl produced a strong finish to pull clear of last season’s winners Germany and take the final podium position.

“Honestly, I was very nervous so my heart was almost coming out of my chest, but I believed in my team-mates and they helped me a lot,” Ito Ito told FIS after the competition.

“For me, my summer (season) wasn’t so good, but other team-mates did good performances so we had good confidence and spirit and then that helped us to the top.

Ito continued; “Tomorrow it’s the individual and after a good start for team Japan, I hope that will give all of the other members good motivation.”

Slovenia’s near all-star line-up was led off by double World champion and reigning Crystal Globe winner Nika Prevc (SLO).

Although she was a little short of her best in the first round, an improved jump – from 123.5 to 136.5m – helped reduce Japan’s first-round lead from 15.4 points to just 1.4.

Team-mates Timi Zajc and Nika Vodan performed well, but ultimately 2025 Large Hill World champion Domen Prevc was left with too much work to do with his final jump and the team would ultimately settle for a hard-earned second place finish.

“I was really cool and just as I imaged this year it would be,” Domen Prevc, who set the new world record jump mark of 254.5m in his homeland at the end of last season, told FIS.

“Last year I knew I was jumping really good, but then in free training (ahead of the Mixed Team event) I was a bit worried, but now I feel that I can do my best right now, I just need to stay focused and keep it going.

Prevc continued; “I’ve probed a lot to myself over the last three seasons and shown that if you have a dream and work hard every day, over many years you can gain that confidence to achieve that dream.”

While last season’s Lillehammer World Cup Mixed Team winners Germany would ultimately miss out on a top-three finish, Philipp Raimund (GER) was among their top performers.

After winning the FIS Summer Grand Prix series he is quickly learning how to perform under pressure, with greater scrutiny and expectation on his jumping.

“There are more people stalking about me and saying I’m the newcomer who will probably win the whole winter, including the Four Hills, but I take it slow,” Raimund told FIS.

“I know the winter is different and I can’t connect to the summer, but my plan is to maintain this (form) throughout the winter, try my very best every day and then the results will come.”

FIS SKI JUMPING WORLD CUP – LILLEHAMMER (NOR) SCHEDULE

21.11.2025
16:00 – Mixed Team LH

22.11.2025
10:30 – QUA Women’s LH
12:00 – WC Women’s LH
14:30 – QUA Men’s LH
16:00 – WC Men’s LH

23.11.2024
10:30 – QUA Women’s LH
12:00 – WC Women’s LH
14:30 – QUA Men’s LH
16:00 – WC Men’s LH

All times listed are CET.

For a full run down of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup calendar CLICK HERE.