He won his first individual World Cup event on 25 January 2003 and was a very consistent competitor in the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, finishing runner-up in both. In 2003–04 he won seven out of the last eleven competitions, finishing ten points short of eventual winner Janne Ahonen.
At the 2005 Ski Jumping World Championships, Ljøkelsøy won a silver medal on the individual large hill and a bronze on the team large hill. In 2006, he retained his Ski Flying World Championship in Kulm, winning with over twenty points to the next competitor, despite feeling ill. The next day, he led the Norwegian team to victory in the team event, together with Ingebrigtsen, Romøren and Lars Bystøl.
Ljøkelsøy retired from the sport after competing in the 2010 Ski Flying World Championships in Planica, with his last official jump being 193.5 metres.