Just Before Kamil Stoch's Jump, an Announcement Came Out. The Pole Suffered Because of It

Kamil Stoch was disappointed at the mammoth ski jump in Oberstdorf. The three-time Olympic champion only managed a jump of 186.5 meters, which likely won’t qualify him for the second round of Saturday’s competition. Just before his jump, the takeoff point was lowered by one step, which may have affected his performance.

During the trial series, Stoch had surprisingly short performance, landing at the 178-meter mark. Though he improved slightly during the actual competition by a few meters, his 186.5 meters likely won't suffice for qualification to the next round. Commentators pointed out that the lowering of the takeoff beam right before Stoch's jump might have contributed to the veteran's struggle.

"We will have a shortening of the takeoff ramp. From beam 23 to beam 22. And this happens just before Kamil Stoch's jump," said Eurosport commentator Michał Korościel. After landing, Stoch was clearly unhappy with his jump.

"Evidently, Kamil isn't performing well in these jumps here," commented Igor Błachut on Stoch's flight.

There were also weather alerts in Oberstdorf on Saturday morning, with warnings of strong wind gusts expected from noon until the following morning. It is projected to be cloudy throughout Saturday.