Adam Małysz speaks candidly after Poland’s debacle: what must change in ski jumping

Polish Ski Association president Adam Małysz assessed the Polish men’s performance after a very weak World Cup weekend in Klingenthal. Poland’s best result on Sunday was Piotr Żyła in 20th place, followed by Paweł Wąsek in 21st, with Dawid Kubacki also scoring points. Kacper Tomasiak, who had shown promise recently, failed to make the final round and, according to Małysz, simply jumped poorly this time—bringing the skis too close to his body, lacking speed and lift, and losing distance in the air.

Małysz emphasized that the overarching problem is a total lack of stability and repeatability across the team’s jumps. He noted that outcomes feel random from one day to the next: one athlete reaches the top 30 on Saturday, another on Sunday. Żyła, expected by some to excel on the Klingenthal hill, also suffered from insufficient speed in the second phase of flight compared to the top jumpers, who carry more energy in the air.

Asked about head coach Maciej Maciusiak’s options, Małysz admitted mid‑season changes are hard and pressure is mounting—also around start quotas. In his view, the team must, at least for now, ‘forget a bit’ about fighting for a full four‑man Olympic quota and instead prioritize regaining stability, feel, and sound technique. He hopes the staff can use the brief window before Engelberg for targeted training; the Zakopane hill has been open and could be utilized.

The selection dilemma continues: Poland plans to send six jumpers to Engelberg, but one will have to be dropped for the Four Hills Tournament. With results fluctuating, there is no obvious cut. Klemens Joniak showed top‑10 Continental Cup form in Ruka, yet Małysz isn’t sure that translates immediately to World Cup level. He recalled that unexpected turnarounds can still happen—as before Beijing 2022, when Kubacki reached the podium despite a rough build‑up—but he refrained from promises, stressing the need to rebuild consistency first.