Ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi said he was "surprised" to be greeted by so many television cameras and reporters at Haneda airport on Tuesday as he returned home midway through his remarkable breakout season.
Kobayashi has won nine events on the World Cup circuit this season, including becoming the third man in history to pull off a grand slam at the prestigious Four Hills Tournament in Germany and Austria earlier this month.
The 22-year-old said his most impressive moment this season was his 137.5-meter second and final jump in Bischofshofen, Austria, on Jan. 6, which allowed him to vault three places into the lead and claim his fifth straight win, along with a page in the history books.