Disaster for Kamil Stoch in Oberstdorf trial round — stark warning before Four Hills kicks off

The Four Hills Tournament returned with its traditional opener in Oberstdorf, where a trial round preceded the KO-format competition. For Poland, the biggest headline was negative: three‑time Olympic champion Kamil Stoch landed at just 102 m, ranking 50th and last, a worrying signal at the start of what he has said will be his final season.

Overall, the Polish team struggled in the trial. The lone bright spot was Kacper Tomasiak, whose 124.5 m placed him 17th and offered some hope. Maciej Kot reached 117 m (36th), Piotr Żyła 116.5 m (38th), and Paweł Wąsek 112 m (42nd).

At the front of the field, Austria’s Jan Hoerl dominated with a 140 m flight to win the trial round, with Slovenia’s Domen Prevc (139 m) and Timi Zajc (131 m) close behind. Other strong showings came from Philipp Raimund, Ryoyu Kobayashi, and Stefan Kraft.

KO pairings for the main competition were also set. Polish matchups include: - Niko Kytösaho vs. Kacper Tomasiak - Artti Aigro vs. Piotr Żyła - Paweł Wąsek vs. Maciej Kot - Tomofumi Naito vs. Kamil Stoch

Winners of each of the 25 duels advance to round two, along with five "lucky losers" with the best remaining scores. Despite all Poles qualifying for the event earlier, the trial round suggested that strong results will be hard to come by in Oberstdorf.

Top of the trial round (selected): 1) Jan Hoerl (AUT) 140.0 m; 2) Domen Prevc (SLO) 139.0 m; 3) Timi Zajc (SLO) 131.0 m; 4) Philipp Raimund (GER) 133.5 m; 5) Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) 134.5 m; 6) Stefan Kraft (AUT) 133.0 m.

Polish results: 17) Kacper Tomasiak 124.5 m; 36) Maciej Kot 117 m; 38) Piotr Żyła 116.5 m; 42) Paweł Wąsek 112 m; 50) Kamil Stoch 102 m.