Stefan Kraft, who is currently on his summer break, doesn’t need to worry regarding his ski flying world record of 253.5 meters, which he set in Vikersund in 2017.
What is currently being done on a large scale in Iceland only falls into the “unofficial” category. But it is an impressive PR stunt in which Ryoyu Kobayashi and his sponsor Red Bull are involved on a large scale.
Iceland’s public broadcaster “RUV” reports on a temporary ski jump facility that was built in the Hlidarfjall ski resort near the town of Akureyi.
Kobayashi took his first steps on Tuesday and immediately surpassed Kraft’s record. 256 meters are said to have been measured, which is not the end of the line. The ski jump was designed to allow the first flight in human history at over 300 meters.
Behind the campaign is the energy drink manufacturer Red Bull, which craves extremes and, according to “RUV”, was already pushing ahead with the planning of this project at the beginning of the year. The idea from the house of the “Red Bull” is not new, the first attempt to tackle the 300 series failed in 2011. At that time, Austria would have been the venue for the long-distance hunt (Hohe Tauern National Park) – and a red-white-red one Athletes should advance into new dimensions.
But Ski Austria (understandably) refused to give its athletes permission. The safety aspect had the highest priority – especially considering that new territory was being entered.
While Kobayashi isn’t making a statement, he’s definitely gunning for the 300, which may be cracked in the coming days.
Author
Alexander Zambarloukos
Sports editor
Alexander Zambarloukos
