Polish ski jumping coach: Olympic selection rules are unfair, but his hands are tied

Interviewer Natalia Żaczek asks head coach Maciej Maciusiak about Poland’s summer objectives and the current state of the men’s ski jumping team.

Maciusiak says the team structure (A and B groups) remains, but they train together following a single system. Staff share information openly, including on equipment, and returning coach Michał Wilk supports both the A team and the B team to ensure alignment.

He welcomes tighter equipment controls introduced over the summer Grand Prix, noting Poland had no disqualifications. He praises FIS equipment chief Mathias Hafele for raising standards compared with last season, although he wants Continental Cup checks to match World Cup rules. In his view, the scope for equipment “maneuvering” has been reduced, and while Poland also lost some former advantages, he hopes the equipment debate will recede this winter.

Reviewing uneven summer results (e.g., Courchevel qualifications, Predazzo normal hill, Klingenthal), he cites multiple causes: stress related to newly chipped suits, difficulty translating strong training jumps to competitions, and individual technical issues. He stresses focusing on technique over raw numbers and ignoring confusion caused by varied suits seen in training.

On athletes: - Paweł Wąsek and Aleksander Zniszczoł struggled to adapt quickly to equipment changes; Wąsek has recently shown better training jumps but lacks the winter-level confidence to “fly” even on imperfect takeoffs; Zniszczoł’s flight speed and use of conditions suffered due to an overly “defensive” position. - Dawid Kubacki is very open in cooperation; analysis shows he is close to regaining very good attempts, but inconsistency still limits top results. - Piotr Żyła responds well to precise, actionable feedback; Maciusiak likens the working dynamic to traits once associated with Stefan Horngacher’s methods. - Kacper Juroszek has been moved to the B group and has not yet “clicked”; Jakub Wolny is training solidly but remains inconsistent and has some off‑hill issues affecting performance. - He notes that form leaders have rotated in recent seasons; veterans like Kamil Stoch, Kubacki, and Żyła could still lead, and youngster Kacper Tomasiak proved a younger athlete can break through.

On Olympic selection for Milan–Cortina 2026, he criticizes the current Polish criteria as inherently unfair: if Poland keeps four quota places, three would go to the highest-ranked athletes and one to the athlete in the best current form regardless of ranking. He prefers the previous system of bringing six jumpers and deciding after training on site, but says he must operate within today’s rules and try to apply them as fairly as possible. He emphasizes the importance of “carrying” national quota points, especially from athletes lower in the ranking (e.g., Zniszczoł, Stoch), and notes there are roughly 20 World Cup events left before qualification closes, leaving time to earn 200 points if someone is truly in top form.

Looking ahead, the team plans to arrive in Lillehammer mid‑week, chip suits on Thursday, complete media duties, and possibly take training jumps. They stayed on Polish ice tracks as long as possible given hill-preparation uncertainty. His early‑season goal: be strong as a team and start at a good level to avoid early‑season nerves—bad starts tend to complicate the whole winter.

Overall, Maciusiak accepts the pressure of a pivotal season, takes responsibility for decisions, and believes the team’s macro- and micro‑cycle reviews indicate progress, though top results will require consistently good jumps.