Ski jumping phenomenon in Poland
Ski jumping has been breaking records of popularity for several decades in Poland. And like most stories, it all starts with the legend of the hero.
A hero appeared in Poland in 1995 - Adam Małysz, aged only 18 years old.
Ski jumping was not the strong point of Polish sport, but this young man made the streets silent during television broadcasts of ski jumpking tournaments. That phenomenon had been even called Małyszomania for the next 16 years.
Adam Małysz comes from Wisła, a small town in the south of Poland, where he used to jump in local sports clubs from a small age.
He was a four-time Olympian and won four medals. Four times World Cup winner, he also won the 4-Hills-Tournament, Nordic Tournament. He was a ski flying world record holder.
He accompanied us for 16 years until 2011, when he ended his career.
Only a few Polish sportsmen can boast such popularity.
The example of Adam Małysz inspired the next generations.
Already in 2011 Adam had a successor - Kamil Stoch. Kamil has already won Olympic medals 3 times and many times won ski jumping tournaments. Shortly afterwards, Dawid Kubacki and Piotr Żyła joined the world leaders.
For a few years now, Poles have been competing with such great powers like Germans, Austrians, Norwegians and Japanese.
In Wisła on the wave of popularity of ski slopes the ski jumping hill was reconstructed in 2008 and named after Adam Małysz.
The first international competition on the Wisła Ski Jumping Hill took place in February 2009 - it was the Continental Cup.
In 2010 for the first time in history FIS Grand Prix competitions were held on the hill in Wisła-Malinka.
The first competition was won by Adam Małysz, the patron of the hill.
The historic, first competitions of the prestigious FIS World Cup were held on 9th January 2013. Since then, every year in winter and summer competitions of the highest international rank are held on the ski jumping hill.
This year's FIS World Cup will start in Wisła on 23-24 November.
The next such opportunity to feel the extraordinary atmosphere will be on 25-26 January in Zakopane, Poland.
Tickets have been sold out a long time ago, but in local pubs, under the hill or on the streets it is no less joyful and lively!
Even if you are not a fan of winter sports, you are more than welcome!
You won't meet cheerful fans like in the mountains during tournaments anywhere else.
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