October 26, 2025
Out in Klingenthal, the wind came barrelling down the hill like it paid for VIP seats and wanted everyone to notice. The organizers canceled the trial round, then hoisted the green flag anyway, because nothing says summer ski jumping quite like sideways snow and 9–10 m/s gusts. And wouldn’t you know it, Japan showed up with a thermos of calm and won the mixed team contest while everyone else tried to land in a blender. If you enjoy meteorology with your sport, the blow-by-blow reads like a weather report that learned to count meters: Japan first, Slovenia second, Norway third, Poland seventh. 🥇💨
The individual curtain call was a Japanese double feature, too. Ryoyu Kobayashi uncorked a 144.0 m opener and kept enough of it together to win the men’s finale, while Nozomi Maruyama didn’t just win the women’s day—she bagged the overall title with room to spare. Germany still got its party, though: Philipp Raimund wrapped the overall series by nearly 100 points, which is what coaches call “sleep-well” margin.
Meanwhile, in Poland, an 18-year-old decided the future is now. Kacper Tomasiak turned his LGP debut into a calling card—top Pole in qualifying, eighth in the final, and cool as an ice track. There’s a whole trilogy about him if you’re ready for the hype train: the qualifying surprise, the finals performance, and the part where Adam Małysz says he’s “cut from different cloth.” Kamil Stoch waved goodbye to Summer Grand Prix chapters with the grace of a legend and the second-jump grumbles of a man who’s seen worse wind.
Far from the hills, biathlon found its drama indoors. French star Julia Simon walked into court and said the quiet part out loud—“I confess”—earning a three-month suspended sentence and a €15,000 fine. Multiple outlets tallied the charges and the fallout, including the FFS disciplinary process revving back up here and here. It’s the kind of off-range shooting percentage you really don’t want. 🧾
And looming over the trailhead like a stern race marshal: governance. FIS shut the door on Russian and Belarusian athletes for Olympic qualifying in its sports—no neutral path this cycle—planting a big sign that says “See you… not in qualifying.” Even FIS’s chief called it “not an easy decision.” And down the trail, a new eligibility policy with sex testing is slated to debut at Falun 2027 before rolling into the World Cup the season after. The sport is tidying its rulebook right when everyone just wants to wax and go.
So ends the summer chapter: the wind won a few rounds, Japan won the rest, a Polish teen stole a spotlight, and biathlon reminded us that the most technical descents sometimes happen on the way to the courthouse. Winter’s four weeks out. Bring your courage, your long skis, and maybe an anchor line for Klingenthal.