Weak jump from the leader of the Polish team at the World Championships opener. But there is good news too

Ski jumping

Piotr Żyła was the best of the Polish competitors in the first training session ahead of Sunday’s normal hill competition during the World Championships in Trondheim. The popular "Wewiór" achieved 97 m and placed 8th. The shortest jump among Thomas Thurnbichler's charges was made by the leader of our team in the 2024/2025 season, Paweł Wąsek. Surprisingly, the top position was secured by American Kevin Bickner!

Paweł Wąsek

The most anticipated moment of the season has arrived. On the last day of February, the fight for World Championship medals begins for the best ski jumpers in the world. However, before they get to that, a solid warm-up is needed, which is the first official training session on the normal hill in Trondheim, where the battle for victory will unfold this upcoming Sunday.

The athletes starting the first training session did not particularly impress with long jumps. The lethargy was only broken by two Norwegians - Robin Pedersen jumped 96 m, and Robert Johansson 97 m, securing the top two spots initially. This changed only after Piotr Żyła made his jump, also reaching 97 m and claiming the lead.

Good jump by Piotr Żyła! A surprising attempt by Paweł Wąsek

Dawid Kubacki followed suit, also jumping 97 m, but he lagged behind his teammate by 2.6 points, finishing behind the two aforementioned Norwegians. Jakub Wolny performed significantly worse, managing only 91 m, placing him behind Turkish Fatih Arda Ipcioglu and French Enzo Milesi.

Zyła led until Philipp Raimund's attempt, when the German launched 99.5 m to take the lead. However, it was quickly relinquished as Kevin Bickner, jumping just after him, became the first to breach the 100 m mark, landing at 101.5 m. Aleksander Zniszczoł did not fare much better with 94 m, finishing behind both Żyła and Kubacki.

Polish results in the first training session:

1. 8. Piotr Żyła - 97 m | 61.8 pts
2. 13. Dawid Kubacki - 97 m | 59.2 pts
3. 19. Aleksander Zniszczoł - 94 m | 56.7 pts
4. 37. Paweł Wąsek - 88 m | 47.7 pts
5. 40. Jakub Wolny - 91 m | 46.6 pts

Kevin Bickner outdistanced his rivals!

Bickner’s strong performance overshadowed weaker jumps from others such as Gregor Deschwanden and Pius Paschke. Good jumps were attributed to Andreas Wellinger, Anżel Lanisek, Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, Maximilian Ortner, and Johann Andre Forfang who were near the top but couldn't surpass Bickner. Similarly, Jan Hoerl and Daniel Tschofenig, leading figures in the World Cup, ended up in the second ten after their jumps. Notably, prominent jumpers like Stefan Kraft and Ryoyu Kobayashi also struggled.

See also: Great start to the World Championships for the Polish team! Second such case in history

On Saturday, March 1, at 19:15, the trial round will commence before the qualifications set to begin at 20:30. The competition will take place on Sunday, March 2, starting with the trial round at 16:00, followed by the first round in the fight for medals at 17:00.