WARSAW, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Beijing 2022 gold medalist Ryoyu Kobayashi will miss FIS Ski Jumping World Cup competition in Zakopane, Poland, while the host's representative Kamil Stoch works against time due to health problems.
Kobayashi has shown significantly lower quality this season than in previous years. He currently ranks 18th in the overall FIS World Cup standings. His best result was 12th place in Engelberg, Switzerland. In the Four Hills Tournament, which ended on Monday, the Japanese took 15th place.
As it turned out, the 28-year-old will miss the FIS World Cup contest in Zakopane, Poland. The team competition will be played on January 18, and then the ski jumpers will fight for points in an individual contest.
"Ryoyu will miss the FIS World Cup competition in Zakopane. As he said, he wants to focus on getting better, so he will fly to Sapporo for training. He plans to come back by the end of January," Japan's ski jumping team informed on Wednesday via its official account on X.
It's possible that not only Kobayashi will be absent at Wielka Krokiew hill as the host's athlete Stoch works against time due to stomach problems.
"During the Four Hills Tournament he was supposed to train in Poland to get back in good shape. I got information that he couldn't do that due to stomach problems. We will provide new information soon," Poland coach Thomas Thurnbichler told Polish media on Wednesday.
It's not clear for now how serious Stoch's injury is and when he will return to the hill. ■
