Polish ski jumpers eye medals in Beijing 2022, says sporting director

WARSAW, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Sport director of the Polish Ski Association (PZN) Adam Malysz has claimed that winning medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics is the main target for the Poland ski jumping team in the new season.

The former legendary ski jumper believes that the team coached by Michal Dolezal will handle the pressure of being considered as medal favorites at Beijing 2022.

"For some time our athletes have rarely come off the podium, so it is difficult to demand something else. The expectations will be high and they have to be met, which will not be easy. On the other hand, the athletes know what they can do," Malysz was quoted as saying by "Przeglad Sportowy" on Monday.

The 43-year-old emphasized that the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are treated as a main target for the Poland team.

"Of course the main events are always taken into account. There are Olympic competitions this season, so we are putting the emphasis on them. On the way, however, there is the Four Hills Tournament and the competitions in Wisla and Zakopane. You approach each competition professionally and you want to do well, and this attitude helps you to do your job in the main event", Malysz claimed.

The Polish ski jumping legend hopes that the experience will be a great strength of the Polish ski jumpers in Beijing as the leader of the team Kamil Stoch is a four-time Olympic medalist, while Dawid Kubacki won two World Cup golds.

"When you achieve good results, you know that everything goes well. In case of problems, it is much more difficult. However, the experienced athlete believes that he will deal with it and achieve success. Kamil Stoch, Dawid Kubacki, Piotr Zyla and Stefan Hula know that very well. Experience is a very important factor," Malysz commented.

"There are some favorites but I'd be a fool to rule out the rest of the guys. Many Polish ski jumpers do well, not like the best ones, but it's also a high level. I would have to be a fortune-teller to say who will compete in Beijing. Ski jumping is a very unpredictable sport and everything is possible," the Pole concluded.