Kamil Stoch is ending his ski jumping career at the end of the season. The three-time Olympic champion says goodbye to the Polish fans in Zakopane on Sunday.
“I have been preparing for this moment for 20 years,” the newspaper “Przeglad Sportowy” quoted the ski jumping legend as saying before the individual competition on Sunday (4 p.m.). sport.de-Live ticker).
The “Super Team” competition took place in Zakopane on Saturday. Kacper Tomasiak and Dawid Kubacki formed the Polish duo and made it to third place. Stoch, on the other hand, had to watch.
“Zakopane is a special place for me. I would have loved to compete in both competitions, but that’s just the way it is. You have to accept it. It hurts, but that’s the life of an athlete. I have to think about what I can do to do better on Sunday,” said the three-time Four Hills Tournament winner, commenting on national coach Maciej Maciusiak’s decision.
Stoch quits ski jumping
Stoch had already announced before the current season that he would end his ski jumping career after the Olympic winter.
“I don’t want to be like Kasai,” said Stoch in an interview with “TVP Sport” at the time. Noriaki Kasai, the legendary “pterosaur” from Japan, is still jumping from the jumps around the world at the age of 53. Stoch added: “I think I’ve said it clearly enough for everyone to conclude that this will be my last season.”
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Great career in ski jumping
Stoch is currently in 22nd place in the overall World Cup with 148 points. From the Polish team, only Kacper Tomasiak (296 points) is better in eleventh place.
With three Olympic victories, two world championship titles, three victories in the Four Hills Tournament and two triumphs in the overall World Cup, Stoch is one of the greats in his profession.