[NordicFocus/Kyodo]

KLINGENTHAL, Germany, - Japan's defending overall champion Ryoyu Kobayashi claimed his first victory of the season at the World Cup in Klingenthal on Sunday.

Kobayashi posted jumps of 136.5 and 134.0 meters for a score of 277.0 and finished three points ahead of Austria's Stefan Kraft, who prevailed last week in Russia. The 23-year-old Japanese captured his 14th World Cup title.

"I'm happy. I finally won," said Kobayashi, who landed on the podium for the first time this season last Sunday.

"I didn't have a good impression of my jumps (in the beginning of the season), but now I feel like I can do a lot better."

Norway's Marius Lindvik finished third, while Japan's Yukiya Sato settled for sixth despite recording the day's longest jump of 140.0 meters.

"Being able to put down this kind of performance and being in good shape, there's been growth over the last one or two years," Sato said. "Ideally, though, I like to be on the podium."

Kobayashi earned 13 wins on the World Cup circuit last season and was crowned overall champion, in addition to collecting a fourth Grand Prix victory over the summer.