Poles accomplished their task. But there is much to improve. Unexpected leader of the team

Poles accomplished their task. But there is much to improve. Unexpected leader of the team

The qualifying rounds were a success! All Polish athletes made it through the qualifications to compete in the individual competition on Saturday. Unfortunately, besides Paweł Wąsek, who ultimately finished 16th, none of our representatives surpassed the construction point (123 m). However, the form of the Summer Grand Prix winner is encouraging, as he demonstrated excellent form with his jump. Jan Hoerl won the entire qualification with a remarkable jump of 141 m.

The qualifications took place under somewhat unfair conditions, with wind gusting from behind the hill but varying in strength. For example, Swiss athlete Felix Trunz received an extra 3.7 points for unfavorable wind, while American Kevin Bickner was given 23 points. Consequently, the organizers had to adjust the starting hill position several times (some jumpers launched from the eighth starting position, others from the twelfth).

Austrian Maximilian Ortner made an impressive jump of 126.5 m at the beginning of the qualifications, maintaining the lead for a long time with a few points over his competitors. The first Polish representative to take to the hill was Maciej Kot (26th starting number), who had somewhat favorable conditions (only 3.4 points added for wind) and achieved a distance of 119 m. His total score placed him fourth on the waiting list after his jump.

A very successful performance by Paweł Wąsek. The best of the Poles

With number 31, came the Summer Grand Prix winner and the standout Polish representative on Friday, Paweł Wąsek. He achieved 131.5 m, taking the lead and confidently qualifying for the competition.

Unfortunately, Paweł did not stay as the leader for long. He was first surpassed by Estonian Artti Aigro with a jump of 132.5 m, and then by American Tate Franz (133.5 m). Dawid Kubacki, starting with the 45th bib, jumped 121.5 m in challenging conditions, placing him in eighth position and guaranteeing his place in the competition.

Then Alex Insam made his jump, followed by Kamil Stoch. The star of the Polish team jumped 121 m in slightly better conditions than Kubacki's, but received low judges' scores (only 50 points for style). He was classified 19th but also qualified. Similarly, Maciej Kot secured his qualification thanks to other competitors’ poorer jumps.

The favorites' long jumps

Halvor Egner Granerud then took the lead with an impressive 137 m jump. Others joining the top were Stephan Leyhe (133 m) and Ren Nikaido (135 m). Third place after his jump was Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who faced significant challenges with the... starting hill.

The last of our representatives, Aleksander Zniszczoł, jumped from a lower take-off (eighth hill), achieving 118 m and was classified 17th, which still meant he qualified for the competition. On the other hand, Gregor Deschwanden also jumped from the eighth hill, reaching 132 m and took the lead, but was later surpassed by Daniel Tschoffenig and Pius Paschke. Deschwanden's leading position was only taken over later by Jan Hoerl with a jump of 141 m.

This jump allowed him to win the qualifications, placing him before the German and Marius Lindvik. Stefan Kraft, the previous season's Crystal Globe winner, placed fourth. Most importantly for Polish fans, all Polish jumpers qualified for the competition, set to start at 16:00. The highest-ranked Polish jumper was Paweł Wąsek, who finished in 16th place.

Final placements of the Polish representatives:

1. Paweł Wąsek

2. Dawid Kubacki

3. Aleksander Zniszczoł

4. Kamil Stoch

5. Maciej Kot

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