Sensational 18-year-old leads Polish team in Klingenthal LGP qualifying; veterans struggle

There was a surprise in Klingenthal qualifying for the Summer Grand Prix: Poland placed all six starters into Saturday’s competition, but it was 18-year-old Kacper Tomasiak who stole the show. Making his LGP debut, Tomasiak jumped 132.5 m in the judged round to finish 9th and emerge as the top Polish qualifier. Earlier in training, he had placed 8th and 10th, including an eye-catching 142 m jump.

Poland’s veterans were less convincing. Kamil Stoch, strong in training and recently 4th and 9th in Hinzenbach, managed only 121 m for 27th in qualifying. Piotr Żyła was 33rd (121.5 m), Dawid Kubacki 42nd (123 m), Aleksander Zniszczoł 44th (122 m), and Paweł Wąsek 47th (117.5 m). All advanced, but several will need improvements to reach the second round in the competition.

At the top of qualifying, Slovenia’s Domen Prevc led with 132.5 m, ahead of Germany’s Philipp Raimund (137.5 m) and Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi (134.5 m). An 18-year-old, Hektor Kapustik, fell after landing but was able to leave the landing area under his own power.

This Klingenthal weekend will decide the overall LGP standings, with Raimund leading on 410 points and Japan’s Sakutaro Kobayashi 42 points behind. The individual event at Vogtland Arena is set for Saturday (25 October, 16:05), with a mixed team event on Sunday (14:45).