Ryōyū Kobayashi: New high-flyer at VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports

When personality meets performance potential, it creates the perfect foundation for Marcel Hirscher’s athlete roster at VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports. And Ryōyū has long proven that he is an athlete whose impact extends far beyond the boundaries of ski jumping. In 2024, the Japanese superstar made headlines around the world with a spectacular Red Bull project: launching from a specially constructed ski flying hill in Iceland, he soared an incredible 291 metres, surpassing the then-standing world-record distance by 37.5 metres. The fact that his historic flight was not officially recognised as a world record because it did not take place in regulated competition hardly mattered. Reaching 107 km/h at take-off and spending eight unforgettable seconds in the air, Kobayashi delivered a flight for the ages. The video alone has generated more than 40 million views on Instagram.

The story of the record-breaking flyer began in the humblest of ways. Ryōyū was just three years old when his father built him his first ski jump in the garden of their family home in Hachimantai. All three of his siblings also became ski jumpers, but it was Ryōyū who rose from Japan’s snowy north to become a global star. With 38 World Cup victories and 91 podium finishes in individual and team events, his achievements speak for themselves. He has won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament three times and, in 2018/19, became only the third ski jumper in history to complete the Grand Slam by winning all four events. His Olympic medal collection is complete, while victories at RAW AIR, two overall Ski Jumping World Cup titles and the Ski Flying World Cup title further underline his remarkable résumé.

Yet Ryōyū Kobayashi’s influence extends far beyond the ski jump. He represents a new generation of athletes who strive not only to succeed in their sport, but to help shape its future. In 2023, he launched his own TEAM ROY project, taking full ownership of his athletic journey and pursuing it on his own terms. Away from competition, his passions include music and fashion, with a particular affinity for Japanese hip-hop and streetwear culture. Ryōyū Kobayashi is driven by a distinctive vision:

Inspiring people to embrace ski jumping who may never have connected with the sport before is what drives him. It is a vision that makes him a natural fit for Marcel Hirscher’s athlete team at VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports.

At the Summer Grand Prix Final in Klingenthal, Ryōyū competed in his first international event on his new VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports jumping skis. A tenth-place finish in the individual competition and third place with Team Japan in the mixed team event provided a solid first benchmark on the new equipment, just in time for the World Cup season opener in Lillehammer from 20 to 22 November.

The runner-up in last winter’s overall World Cup standings has won almost everything the sport has to offer, yet his hunger for success remains undiminished. The standout target of this new chapter with VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports is the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, in February 2027. There, Ryōyū will have the opportunity to add another piece to his extraordinary legacy: individual gold at a Nordic World Ski Championship remains the one major achievement still missing from his remarkable résumé.