In Akureyri, Iceland, a world-renowned athlete from Japan made history by breaking the world record for the longest ski jump. Ryōyū Kobayashi, one of the most decorated ski jumpers of all time, achieved the feat on April 24 by flying through the air for almost 10 seconds before landing safely at 291 meters, breaking the old record by 37.5 meters.
Kobayashi expressed his joy at achieving his dream and how this record will strengthen his career going forward. Prior to this jump, Kobayashi’s personal best was just shy of the world record. To beat it, he had to construct a larger ski jump hill in Akureyri. After careful research and calculations, a bigger ski jump was created that required removing 120,000 cubic meters of snow to prepare it for the jump. Despite initial challenges, Kobayashi found that Akureyri had a perfect natural slope for the record-breaking flight.
In order to adapt to stronger winds and maintain correct posture during the long flight, Kobayashi underwent intense training beforehand. He also worked hard to reach a speed of about 105 kilometers per hour before jumping off the hill. Weather conditions were crucial during this attempt since they could have a significant impact on outcomes due to their high speeds and durations in mid-air.
After several attempts, Kobayashi finally achieved his goal with a perfect flight that set a new world record in Akureyri’s ski jumping competition. In an interview with Red Bull about his achievement, he described it as “ski flying” and expressed gratitude for having been given such an incredible opportunity to make history. Kobayashi credited Akureyri’s well-designed ski jumping hill for helping him achieve this milestone in his career as one of the greatest athletes of all time in sporting history.
