Sensation in Oberstdorf! Piotr Żyła's Great Return to the World Cup

Sensation in Oberstdorf! Piotr Żyła's Great Return to the World Cup

In Oberstdorf, Piotr Żyła astounded fans during the trial series! The veteran, who narrowly secured a spot on the ski jumping team for the Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze (HS235), achieved an impressive distance of 213.5 meters. This jump earned him the 12th position. Conversely, his teammate and the Polish team leader, Paweł Wąsek, faced challenges, as he only managed to jump 185.5 meters, ending in 29th place.

The weekend of late January saw the World Cup returning to Oberstdorf, marking the first time this season that competitors are tackling the mammoth ski hill. On Friday, Johann Andre Forfang triumphed in the qualifications with a phenomenal jump of 236 meters. Polish fans had reason to cheer, as Paweł Wąsek also recorded a jump of 210.5 meters.

Four Polish athletes—including Aleksander Zniszczoł, Jakub Wolny, Piotr Żyła, and Kamil Stoch—qualified for the trial series. How did they fare ahead of the Saturday competition?

Piotr Żyła Surprises in the Trial Series

The competition kicked off with Piotr Żyła leading the Polish team. He delivered a remarkable jump of 213.5 meters, initially placing him in the lead. However, the situation changed with Kamil Stoch's attempt shortly after, where the three-time Olympic champion could only manage a 178-meter jump.

Jakub Wolny was also disappointing, having been a revelation during training sessions with jumps over 200 meters; he only managed 190.5 meters in the trial series.

After all 20 competitors had jumped, Slovenian Domen Prevc was leading with an outstanding jump of 225.5 meters.

With the warming of the conditions just before Aleksander Zniszczoł's jump, the take-off was raised from level 20 to level 22. Zniszczoł recorded a distance of 197.5 meters, placing him in seventh.

Timi Zajc impressed by jumping 217.5 meters under unfavorable conditions, momentarily taking the lead from Prevc.

Disappointing Jump from Paweł Wąsek

As the last Polish jumper, Paweł Wąsek took to the ramp. The leading figure of the Polish team and current 13th in the World Cup standings, Wąsek struggled to match the performance of his competitors, finishing with a jump of just 185.5 meters.

The trial series was topped by Timi Zajc at 217.5 meters. Piotr Żyła excelled among the Polish competitors, securing 12th place with a distance of 213.5 meters, while Aleksander Zniszczoł was positioned at 20th (197.5m), Jakub Wolny at 27th (190.5m), and Kamil Stoch at 35th (178m).

Weather Alerts in Oberstdorf

On the Saturday morning of the competition, German media reported a weather alert in Oberstdorf. A windstorm warning will be in effect from noon, lasting until Sunday morning. The forecast calls for overcast skies throughout the day.

The first series of ski jumping competitions on the Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, set to start at 16:30. Live coverage will be available through Przegląd Sportowy Onet.

Source: Przegląd Sportowy Onet