The Norwegian achieved a jump of 232.5 metres in the first round of competition at the Vikersundbakken hill venue.

Lindvik receive a total of 227.4 points for the effort to lead the early standings.

He maintained the position by scoring 230.1 points in the second round, after a jump of 226.5m.

Austria’s Stefan Kraft, who led qualification yesterday, was the only ski jumper to improve on Lindvik’s second round score by earning 233.1 points.

At the halfway stage of the four-round competition, Lindvik and Kraft occupy the top two positions in the standings.

Lindvik has a narrow 6.5 point advantage having earned 457.5 points, with Kraft second on 451.

Domen Prevc is one of three Slovenians in the top five having secured 437.6 points in the opening half of the event.

Prevc will hope to match the achievement of his brother Peter, who won the title back in 2016.

Timi Zajc and Anze Linisek follow their compatriot on 425.5 and 426.6 respectively, with Norway’s Robert Johansson sixth on 420.4.

Peter Prevc is the highest ranked of the former winners, occupying seventh place on 419.6.

Defending champion Karl Geiger appears out of the running, with the German already 67.6 points behind Lindvik down in 13^th.

The final two rounds are scheduled to take place tomorrow.

A team competition is then due to take place on Sunday (March 13).

Ski flying is a non-Olympic ski jumping discipline, in which the FIS organises World Championships only for men.

It takes place on oversized hills, such as the Vikersundbakken, and allows greater distances to be achieved.