Aigro (EST) looks back at his 'surprising' career-high this winter: 'Ruka was lucky for me'

For Estonia's Ski Jumping hope Artti Aigro, the 2024/2025 Viessmann FIS Ski Jumping World Cup has been a big leap forward.

The 25-year-old advanced 20 places in the overall World Cup standings – from a 43rd place the previous winter, to 23rd – and landed his first top-five finish sooner than he had expected.

In the Large Hill in Ruka (FIN) on 1 December, Aigro claimed the fifth place with a jump of 136 meters that gave him 128.1 points. It was the best result for Estonia in the World Cup.

"It was surprising," Aigro said.

"But this is the sport. The weather is different every day and you can't do much about it. Ruka was lucky for me and I'm really happy."

His previously career-best individual result had been a Large Hill 14th place, also in Ruka, four years before. After the strong start to the his eighth World Cup season, he made it six more individual top-20 finishes before it ended.

"If I keep my jumps at a good level then I get more and more confident so this will make some new steps for me," he said.

After the 2022/2023 season, Aigro moved to Lillehammer, Norway, and started to train with the Norwegian Ski Jumping team after a cooperation agreement between Estonia and the winter sports superpower. Speaking after finishing 24th in the Normal Hill at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, in another part of Norway, he said the hard work in his new home country has started to bear fruit this season.

"It's the second season where I work with Norwegians and start to learn things that should pay off more. That's easy – you just need to follow the plan and trust the coaches," Aigro said.

Outside of training, the Estonian record (228m) holder said he has almost no complaints about life in Norway.

"It's a bit more expensive," he said, adding: "but I manage".

Growing up in Otepaa, Estonia's capital city for Ski Jumping, Aigro's father was a Nordic Combined athlete introducing his son to the sport at an early age. It did not take long, however, before Aigro decided to drop the Cross-Country part to focus solely on becoming one of the best jumpers in the world.

 "I didn't like the skiing, it was a little bit too hard for me," said Aigro, who has done more than 100 World Cup starts since his 2017/2018 season debut on the tour.

"He (his father) is not helping anymore but he was helping throughout all of my childhood and he is watching every competition now so, he is helping me mentally."

At his third World Championships, in Trondheim, where Aigro finished in 18th place in the Large Hill, he was not the only Ski Jumper representing Estonia. Kaimar Vagul, 17, who has joined him on the World Cup tour this season, was also there, sharing some of the burden of being the Baltic nation's future hope in the sport.

Aigro said that his good results this winter, where he also improved last year's 37th place to claim No.24 in the Ski Flying World Cup standings, had given him a fair amount of attention in his home country.

"It is pretty good for our nation and team, but of course you're at a point where all the Ski Jumping and this sport is going around with almost only you, so you get a lot of attention in Estonia, but it's been great so far."

Having made it into the top-five, next step could be a podium. And Aigro is well aware of what he needs to improve to take his Ski Jumping to an even higher level next season and continue making history for his country.

"The most important is the radius part at the top of the hill, where I come, so if I don't open my upper body it will be much easier but it is what it is right now and I really try to get it better," he said.

Coming into his third Olympic Games, at Milano Cortina (ITA), Aigro has the chance to take his fame in Estonia to another level as he hopes to improve on his best Games result; a Large Hill 30th-place at Beijing (CHN) 2022.

"I'm really excited about a first Olympic Games in Europe for me," the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic debutant said.

"I heard that the hills are not ready but I really hope that they're moving as fast as possible. To get at least one competition there before the Olympics would be great."

And even if his results were not close to his flying start of the season, the Trondheim 2025 World Championships offered another opportunity to compete in front of a big crowd, preparing him for next year's highlight in Val di Fiemme (ITA).

"Of course," Aigro said.

"(It is) the World Championships and even though it is not full stadium of spectators, there is still quite a loud noise and that makes it quite special."