A sea of red and white flags were afloat in Zakopane this weekend for the World Ski Jumping Cup. And not disappointing his fans, Poland's star jumper, Adam Malysz, delivered with a triumphant return to form.
Pipped to the post by the Austrian Martin Hoellwarth, Malysz came in second, just a third of a point behind the winner. For a brief moment it appeared that Malysz has seized gold, but the Austrian, who took his final jump just moments after the Pole, came through with the clinching jump.
Heollwarth managed jumps of 127 meters and 122.5 meters, bringing in a total of 252.6 points, whilst Malysz totaled 252.3 points from two equal jumps of 125.5.
However, Malysz's performance was more than enough to delight the thousands of fans that turned out, and the event was marked by a tremendous atmosphere throughout.
Poland's President, Aleksander Kwasniewski, also braved the chilly winds, sitting through both days of this weekend's tournament, and he was clearly electrified by Malysz's soaring jumps.
All in all a great day for Polish sport, and a promising return to form for the young star, Adam Malysz. Roll up the next tournament!
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