Stoch emerges from Malysz's shadow to take world ski jump title
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
01.03.2013 09:06
Kamil Stoch soared to victory on Thursday in Val di Fiemme winning a gold medal for Poland in the men's large hill event at the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships.
Kamil Stoch celebrates his victory: photo - EPA/Peter Klaunzer
“I knew that I'd done a great jump, but I wasn't sure what place it would give me,” Stoch told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) of his opening leap of 131.5m.
Holding his nerve, Stoch managed to pull off a strong performance in his second and final jump, reaching 130m, finishing 6.1 points ahead of Slovenian rival Peter Prevc.
“I felt good [going into the competition], but I also knew that ski jumping is such an unpredictable sport, that the slightest error can decide whether you win or you drop out of the top ten completely,” he said.
However, this time there was a happy ending for Stoch, and the sportsman's delight was plain to see as he celebrated his gold.
The 25-year-old, who was born in Poland's winter capital of Zakopane, has had to spend much of his career in the shadow of now retired champion Adam Malysz, a national hero in Poland.
PAP asked the young star yesterday whether he felt that he will be able to escape such comparisons.
“We'll see, time will tell,” Stoch said. (nh)