In December the same year, in early &lt;a href="2004%E2%80%9305%20FIS%20Nordic%20Combined%20World%20Cup"&gt;2004/05&lt;/a&gt; season, he finished among the top ten for the first time, with an eighth place in the sprint race in Trondheim. His first podium achievement came in January 2005, with a third place in Sapporo. Almost one month later, he finished sixth in the sprint distance at the 2005 World Championships. Before the season was over, he would win a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Rovaniemi.