He reveals the background of Kamil Stoch’s big decision: “He called me”

Łukasz Kruczek, former head coach of the Polish ski jumping team, described how he joined Kamil Stoch’s private setup for the champion’s final season.

Kruczek said he had decided to leave Thomas Thurnbichler’s national-team staff because, in his view, his role brought little added value. During a period of uncertainty, he received an unexpected call from Stoch. Believing at first that Stoch was about to retire, Kruczek was surprised when the athlete said he wanted to continue jumping on his own terms and asked Kruczek to join the project in secrecy. After consulting briefly with his wife, Kruczek accepted.

He called the invitation the greatest professional distinction of his career, greater even than previous shared successes with Stoch and the Polish team. Kruczek emphasized that he is there to handle the hard day-to-day training work, while Michal Doležal is the strategic lead of Stoch’s team.

The article recalls that Stoch endured a disappointing previous season, finishing 31st overall in the World Cup and being left off the Polish squad for the Trondheim World Championships by then-coach Thurnbichler—his worst campaign in roughly two decades. Now Stoch is set for a farewell season, with the 2025/26 World Cup opening in Lillehammer on November 21 and the Winter Olympics scheduled for February 6–22.