Paweł Wąsek makes a very good jump of 137.5 meters and lands with a full telemark. He doesn't make any mistakes on the way out. The two evaluators – the American Blair Tomten and the Norwegian Martin Roeningnen – see it differently and give him only 17.5 points.
The notes for Wąsek in Titisee-Neustadt are a joke. This is what the judges did
Due to this, Wąsek has a rather poor, fifth place result in the second group of the first series of Friday's competition.
Meanwhile, Anze Lanisek, who was jumping on him, clearly wobbled his landing and received four scores of 17.5 points – the same as Wąsek for a really good landing. And this is only the first round. In the second case, the situation repeats itself.
This time Wąsek jumps 132 meters and the American Tomten again gives him 17.5 points for a good landing. Sure, it's not flawless, it doesn't deserve only “20”, but why the deduction of 2.5 points?!
Especially since Lanisek, who jumps on it, lands similarly, in a nice style, and suddenly his judges award even “19”. The Slovenian has one of the two highest scores in his group in the second series. Fourth whisker. In the third, final series, the scores were finally comparable. At least then. However, such situations should not take place on the ski jumping hill at all.
Wąsek reacts to the ratings from judges in Germany. “I won't go and bribe them”
The judges' scores in ski jumping have been scandalous for a long time. Their situation and work are not easy or appreciated – they do it as a volunteer, without receiving remuneration for their work. They only receive a ridiculously low allowance for the trip, and in addition they evaluate the jumps from a place from which it is often difficult to observe the competition in a comfortable way. It's great that these enthusiasts are still able to travel for the World Cup and pursue this profession. It would be good, however, if they did it in a way that did not harm the players by giving them marks they did not deserve at all.
– The grades for style will probably never be such that everyone will agree with them – Paweł Wąsek tells us when he sees the photo of his landing in the second series and the scores he received. – There will always be controversy. I can't do anything about it, I just have to try to land and fly as nicely as possible. Well, I'm not going to go and bribe them to give me “20.” That's why I'm not going to worry about it too much, says the Pole.
Thurnbichler saw the scores for Wąsek and just smiled. “Too strict approach”
Or maybe Wąsek hasn't made a name for himself among the judges yet? After all, it is clear that it is in the case of recognized players that the ratings are the best. – There have certainly been many such cases in the past. That they were raised because of their name. I have to keep trying to make this name and not make mistakes when landing, says Wąsek.
We also show the same photo of the jumper landing to coach Thomas Thurnbichler. Looking at them, he just smiles. – These scores are too low – says the Austrian immediately. – But it is what it is. I think we can improve a bit in terms of the style of our jumps, but the judges' approach is definitely too strict – adds the coach.
The Poles are far from victory and the podium. Thurnbichler reacts. “That's clear”
Of course, although it is a controversial topic and worth discussing, the Poles' scores on Friday were in the background. They would count if Thomas Thurnbichler's jumpers really fought for higher positions. And they finished the duets competition in sixth place, 81.8 points behind the victorious Germans. They were also 37.7 points short of the podium.
– This competition was of a very high standard. Four or five teams made no mistakes and jumped great. Later it was difficult for us to chase them. That's why you always have to approach your jumps individually. There is nothing more you can do: you have to focus on your job and do it, and then look at the results – describes Paweł Wąsek.
– This result is not something we expect from ourselves. That's clear. In terms of jumps, I saw two jumps from both competitors today, which were really good. Unfortunately, to fight for something more in duos, we need three such jumps with a well-executed telemark – admits Thomas Thurnbichler.
Zniszczoł saw a “slalom before the threshold”. The tracks looked “like a snake”
The level of the Poles' jumps was not bad, but it was poor compared to the rest of the group, which was in exceptionally good shape. – These were not perfect jumps. The first and third were at a good level. In the second one, I struggled a little more from the top and missed it. There is still something to improve. When we analyze these jumps on video, even more things will appear that we can improve – explains Paweł Wąsek.
Aleksander Zniszczoł could not even be convinced that he would take part in Friday's competition. The favorite for a place in the team was Jakub Wolny, who was twice as good in training, but eventually Zniszczoł was among the Poles. – I was surprised by Thomas' decision. I won't say that deep in my heart I wanted to jump, but the coach gave me a chance and I think I didn't jump badly – says the Wisła native. – My decision was right, I wouldn't change anything – says Thomas Thurnbichler. The Austrian explained in an interview with Eurosport that the second training turned out to be crucial – although Zniszczoł was worse in it than Wolny, it was clear that he was getting better, and Thurnbichler believed that his maximum level was higher than Wolny's current level.
– I think the performance of the day could have been better, the jumps could have been better. Everything could have been better – Zniszczoł laughs. When asked if he regrets that the results of the competition were quite different from how Poles performed in Wisla compared to others, he gives the impression that he is not surprised by it. – It's a pity, but in Wisła it was our hill, and here everyone had to get a feel for what was happening at the new facility. Oh well, another competition tomorrow – he adds.
Let's hope that on Saturday and Sunday the Poles do not have to struggle much with the specificity of the hill in Titisee-Neustadt. – There are natural tracks here, cut out, while almost every hill has ice tracks. You had to take a moment to get the feeling on the run-up. It wasn't easy at the beginning, but I think I coped with it quite well – reveals Paweł Wąsek. Aleksander Zniszczoł had even bigger problems with the tracks and the hill. – I had to get used to this hill and other tracks. During the first jump I was surprised because the tracks before the threshold looked like a slalom. Like a snake. But then, from jump to jump, this self-confidence increased – he explains.
On Friday, the best were the Germans – Pius Paschke and Andreas Wellinger – before the Austrians and Norwegians. There won't be much time to get to know the facility on the weekend. Qualifications are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, followed immediately by one individual competition per day. Live coverage on Sport.pl, and broadcasts on Eurosport, TVN and the Max platform.