End of the Games for Polish Female Ski Jumpers — "It Touches the Heart"

Correspondence from Predazzo

Unfortunately, both Anna Twardosz and Pola Bełtowska had their Olympic campaigns ended after the first round of the large hill competition — that result also marked the end of the Games for Poland's female jumpers. Only the mixed/duet contest scheduled for Monday remained to be held.

The large hill contest did not go as hoped for Twardosz, but her 10th-place finish on the normal hill was a historic result for Polish women's ski jumping. “I'm happy to be here. I'm proud of myself. Of course there is some regret — in every event I could have given a bit more — but I'm glad and I hope to be even better in the future,” the 24-year-old said.

Twardosz described how emotional her normal-hill jump was: “After that first jump in the normal hill competition I experienced every emotion possible. I would like to go back to that moment. The fact that my family could come and share that day with me… it really touches the heart.”

Pola Bełtowska, 19, also reflected positively despite the early exit. “What I'll take away from these Games is that I have so many wonderful people around me I can always rely on,” she said in the mixed zone, and confirmed she is already thinking about the next Olympics.

Coach's assessment

Head coach Marcin Bachleda summed up the team's performance: “I consider these Games successful because we have Anna's historic tenth place. I think if the girls work — and I know they will — in four years they'll be at a higher level. Anna and Pola have already made big progress. We're happy that Anna keeps scoring points and Pola is collecting points too. Of course we weren't aiming for medals yet; that's not the time. The girls must steadily raise their level and each season should be better than the last.”