Ryoyu Kobayashi far ahead

After three world cup weekends Ryoyu Kobayashi is the one chased by everyone else.

The first single competiton of the season, though, Evgeniy Klimov stole the show: The Russian, having won the summer Grand Prix, took his fine form into the winter and secured both the first win of his career and of a Russian athlete in general. Kobayashi ranked 3rd, Poland's Piotr Zyla separating the two of them.

The following weekend in Kuusamo (Finland) was then turned into a show for Kobayashi. On Saturday, he secured the first win of his career (with Kamil Stoch and Piotr Zyla completing the podium) and on Sunday he did an even better job, winning with 22 points advance on Andreas Wellinger and again Kamil Stoch.

The first worldcup of Nizhny Tagil (Russia) had another surprise on offer: Johann Andre Forfang claimed the win, making the Norwegian fans cheer. Piotr Zyla as second best landed on the podium yet again. And Ryoyu Kobayashi? He followed closely on the bronze rank. The three of them were to be the best the following day too, just in another order. Kobayashi went back onto the top, Forfang finished second and Zyla third.

Thus, after five single competitions (the actual season opening of Wisla was a team competiton where Poland won in front of Germany and Austria), Kobayashi is for now safe and sound at the top of the overall worldcup standing (420 points). With Piotr Zyla (285) and Kamil Stoch (265) two Polish jumpers are his closest pursuers.