Polak przeskoczył skocznię! A potem wylądował tuż za podium

Maciej Kot had a tough break in the second of Sunday’s Continental Cup competitions in Sapporo. After the first round, he was in second place after jumping the size of the hill (141.5 meters), but a poorer performance in the final round left him in fourth place. He matched his best result of the season, but he has regrets, as he had a chance to secure additional starting spots for Poland in the World Cup events in Willingen, Lake Placid, and Sapporo.

Poland has been performing well in Japan, as evidenced by Saturday's competitions where Kot finished sixth, and Kacper Juroszek finished eighth, with Juroszek's jump of 140 meters being the longest of the competition.

Kot’s first jump in the final competition reached 141.5 meters, putting him in a strong position midway through the competition. Only Fredrik Villumstad had a longer jump at 146 meters, just 2.5 meters shorter than Kamil Stoch’s record from 2019. However, in the second round, Kot's jump was only 130.5 meters, resulting in his fourth-place finish, equaling his best result of the season.

Klemens Joniak finished 17th, with Tymoteusz Amilkiewicz in 18th, and Kacper Juroszek in 20th. Villumstad eventually won the last competition, followed by Yukiya Sato in second and Markus Mueller in third.

Kot’s missed opportunity means he cannot earn extra points as Poland needed him above Sato and by at least 27 points in the Continental Cup standings. As a result, additional spots went to the Norwegians, Japanese, and Austrians.

The Continental Cup moves to Lillehammer next, where two competitions will be held on February 1 and 2.