American ski jumper Jason Colby leapt to 7th place at the World Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland on Dec. 20, the best finish for a U.S. man in over 20 years.

Colby, who earned his first career national title in the large hill in October, jumped 136.5 meters (just under 448 feet) in the weekend's opening large hill competition for his first-ever top-10 finish. His previous best in an individual World Cup event was 19th, which he earned eight days earlier in Wisla, Poland. 

The 19-year-old now stands as the top-ranked American jumper, man or woman, in the world, ranked 26th overall.

Four other Americans also earned top-30 finishes in Engelberg: Josie Johnson (22nd, 29th), Annika Belshaw (25th), Paige Jones (27th), and Kevin Bickner (29th). 

Colby's performances so far this season are part of a recent spike in American success on the international level. In an attempt to snap their century-long Olympic medal drought, the U.S. ski jumping team struck a deal with the Norwegian squad shortly after the 2022 Beijing Games in which the two countries would share resources, training staff, technology, and more. In the three years since, American athletes have spent most of their time living and training in Norway, and the team's results consistently have been improving.

The Ski Jumping World Cup will pick up again in late December with the prestigious Four Hills Tournament, which begins Dec. 28 in Oberstdorf, Germany.