Ski jumping returns: an Olympic season opens in Lillehammer as Kamil Stoch begins his farewell year

The Ski Jumping World Cup starts on Friday in Lillehammer, Norway, marking the beginning of the Olympic season leading to Milan–Cortina 2026. Poland’s three‑time Olympic champion Kamil Stoch has confirmed this will be his last season and aims to close his career on a high.

After a disappointing 2024/25 campaign—Paweł Wąsek was the top Polish overall finisher in 14th and there were no World Championships medals—the Polish Ski Association (PZN) replaced head coach Thomas Thurnbichler with Maciej Maciusiak, a long‑time federation coach and former assistant. Senior athletes, who had publicly voiced concerns about Thurnbichler, welcomed the appointment of the first Polish A‑team head coach since 2016.

Summer results were mixed. In the Grand Prix, Stoch was the top Pole (5th overall). Stoch reiterated he will retire after the 2025/26 season, a decision PZN president Adam Małysz called well‑considered and psychologically liberating. Stoch’s résumé includes four Olympic medals (three gold), two overall World Cup titles, six World Championships medals (two gold), three Four Hills Tournament wins, two Raw Air titles, 39 World Cup victories and 80 podiums.

Poland fields one of the oldest World Cup rosters: Stoch, Piotr Żyła, Dawid Kubacki and Aleksander Zniszczoł are over 30, with 26‑year‑old Paweł Wąsek and 18‑year‑old prospect Kacper Tomasiak lowering the average age. Tomasiak won the overall Summer Continental Cup and placed 8th on his Summer GP debut in Klingenthal, fueling hopes he can help refresh the team.

Małysz is upbeat about the Olympic season, citing better strength metrics, dynamics and team atmosphere. The last Polish Olympic medal came in Beijing 2022, where Kubacki took bronze on the normal hill. The Olympic ski jumping events this season will be held in Predazzo, a venue full of positive Polish memories: Małysz’s double gold at the 2003 Worlds and Stoch’s large‑hill gold in 2013.

On the men’s side, Austria’s Daniel Tschofenig, last season’s overall World Cup winner and the first champion born in the 2000s, is again among the favorites along with compatriots Jan Hoerl and Stefan Kraft, plus Slovenia’s Anže Lanišek and Domen Prevc. Prevc set the official flight distance record of 254.5 m in Planica on March 30.

The men’s World Cup calendar features 35 competitions: 30 individual events, two mixed‑team events, one four‑man team event and two pairs events. Poland will host in Wisła (December 6–7) and Zakopane (January 10–11, 2026). The Ski Flying World Championships are scheduled in Oberstdorf (January 23–25), and the Olympic Games will run February 6–22, 2026.

The women’s World Cup also opens in Lillehammer. Under coach Marcin Bachleda, Anna Twardosz regularly scored points last season (32nd overall) and took two Summer GP podiums in Râșnov, finishing 8th overall in the series. Pola Bełtowska is increasingly appearing in second rounds, and Nicole Konderla‑Juroszek has shown steady form. Reigning overall champion Nika Prevc (Slovenia) will defend her Crystal Globe after winning 15 individual events last season.

Lillehammer opening weekend schedule:

• Friday, Nov 21: 16:00 mixed team event
• Saturday, Nov 22: 10:30 women’s qualifying; 12:00 women’s individual; 14:30 men’s qualifying; 16:00 men’s individual
• Sunday, Nov 23: 10:30 women’s qualifying; 12:00 women’s individual; 14:30 men’s qualifying; 16:00 men’s individual