A 20‑year‑old Pole chased the podium in Ruka COC — big first jump, but slipped to 7th; Zniszczoł rockets in final round

Polish ski jumper Klemens Joniak narrowly missed the podium in Sunday’s Continental Cup in Ruka (Finland). The 20‑year‑old, who finished fifth on Saturday—his best career result at this level—opened Sunday with a 142.5 m jump, the third‑best distance of the first round. However, Norway’s Robin Pedersen edged him despite a slightly shorter mark, and Joniak’s deficit to the provisional podium was only 1.6 points.

Needing another clean effort in the final round to fight Norway and Austria for the top spots, Joniak landed at 129.5 m and ultimately slipped to seventh place. Earlier in the day’s trial round, Aleksander Zniszczoł—dropped down from the World Cup squad—looked sharp, and although he managed only 126.5 m in the first series (16th), he "lit it up" in the second with 143 m to climb into the top positions (reported around 10th/11th). Jarosław Krzak reached the second round (124.5 m first, 106 m second) and finished 25th, while Adam Niżnik placed 36th and Szymon Sarniak was disqualified.

The podium was: 1) Robin Pedersen (141 m, 147 m), 2) Maximilian Ortner (143 m, 137.5 m), 3) Solve Jokerud Strand (141.5 m, 138 m). The results offered a bright spot for Poland’s young contingent despite recent struggles by the World Cup team in Ruka, where Domen Prevc won Saturday’s World Cup event and veterans like Piotr Żyła underperformed.