Polish Ski Jumping Coach Was Furious! 'I Couldn’t Believe It'

During the team competition at the Junior World Championships in Lake Placid, Polish ski jumpers were in contention for a podium finish until the very end. After promising displays by Klemens Joniak and Kacper Tomasiak – with Szymon Byrski also showing good form – the team looked set to finish near the top of the standings, with early rounds even suggesting they could contend for silver.

However, an unexpected twist came in the final round. Wiktor Szozda replaced the weakest jumper, Tymoteusz Amilkiewicz, but the decision to allow his jump under extremely adverse conditions proved costly. According to coach Daniel Kwiatkowski, the jury’s decision to permit Tomasiak’s final jump, despite what he described as “catastrophic conditions,” and the generous wind compensation awarded to competitors, ultimately pushed the Poles down to fifth place.

In a moment of raw emotion on the program “3. seria,” Kwiatkowski recalled, “I couldn’t believe it. I mean, there was no chance – he just didn’t have any!” Coach Kwiatkowski expressed his deep anger not at his athletes but at the procedures and point allocations for wind compensation, which he felt were unfair.

The article details these dramatic moments and controversial decisions that transformed a night of high hopes into one of bitter disappointment for the Polish junior team.