Great support and mixed results. Poles are behind the leaders in the team competition
The team competition in Zakopane attracted a large audience. Fans of Thurnbichler’s team were counting on good jumps, but Polish competitors had mixed results.
Competitions at Wielka Krokiew are always accompanied by a good atmosphere. It was no different on Saturday. When the first Pole took off, there was a great uproar. Although Thomas Thurnbichler’s players tried to show their good side, they ultimately took sixth place.
The Poles’ solid jumps did not result in a podium finish in the team competition
Kamil Stoch was the first Pole to sit on the beam. The three-time Olympic champion jumped 127.5 meters, which gave the team sixth place after the first series. Rai Nikaido from Japan performed well and took his team into the lead. Several minutes later, Paweł Wąsek made the jump. The jumper soared to the 130th meter of the hill, which, combined with good results, allowed the Poles to take the lead. Ultimately, however, it resulted in a promotion to fourth place, as most of the rivals retained their advantage. In the third series, the Poles were represented by Aleksander Zniszczoł, who jumped the same distance as Wąsek (129.5 m). The Poles still maintained their fourth place. In the last series, Dawid Kubacki jumped 124.5 meters. Ultimately, the White and Reds took fifth place after the first part of the competition.
The second series among the Poles was opened by Stoch, whose jump of 122.5 meters put the team behind the Japanese. After a few minutes, Paweł Wąsek took the team into fourth place. The Pole made a great jump of 134 meters, which earned him many points. Aleksander Zniszczoł jumped even further (138 meters), but Junshiro Kobayashi showed a high-scoring jump. With it he led his compatriots ahead of the Poles. The final position was decided by Dawid Kubacki’s jump. The bronze medalist of the 2022 Olympic Games had a weak jump. Despite good conditions, he jumped the same amount as in the first series (124.5 meters). This meant a drop in the classification to sixth place.
The individual competition will end with the Polish Tournament
The competition was won by Austrians, who defeated Slovenians and Germans. On Sunday, jumpers will compete in an individual competition. It will officially end the first edition of the Polish Tournament.
