Surprising Polish leader in Klingenthal trial round; chaotic winds shake up LGP standings

The final weekend of the Summer Grand Prix served as a last tune‑up before the Olympic winter. Ahead of Saturday’s event in Klingenthal (HS140), athletes contested a trial round marked by fickle winds and significant inrun adjustments.

Poland’s Kacper Tomasiak opened strongly at 127.5 m. Later, Paweł Wąsek, last season’s Polish team leader, managed only 116 m despite favorable wind. After 30 jumpers, Norway’s Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal led with a massive 142 m.

Aleksander Zniszczoł recorded 118 m, while veteran Piotr Żyła handled the conditions well with 129 m, placing him ninth at the time and ultimately the top Pole in 10th. In contrast, Dawid Kubacki jumped just 105 m—but critically from gate 11 rather than the more common gate 16, a five‑step reduction that heavily impacted speed and distance.

Kamil Stoch, the last Polish jumper, reached 116 m. Sundal finished as the trial‑round winner at 142 m. The capricious weather and gate changes created an unconventional top 10 that also included surprise names such as Jason Colby, Finland’s Vilho Palosaari, and Estonia’s Artti Aigro.

The main competition was scheduled to begin at 16:05. In the overall Summer Grand Prix standings, Germany’s Philipp Raimund held a 42‑point lead over Japan’s Sakutarō Kobayashi entering the Klingenthal event.