Kamil Stoch of Poland in the ski jumping men's large hill individual event at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, China, Feb. 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang)
Triple Olympic ski jumping champion Kamil Stoch said he would "jump as long as possible" despite a disappointing Beijing 2022 journey.
WARSAW, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Three-time ski jumping Olympic champion Kamil Stoch said that he doesn't consider a retirement after his failure at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Stoch and his teammates didn't meet the expectations in Beijing as they won just one bronze medal thanks to Dawid Kubacki. In consequence Austrian Thomas Thurnbichler replaced coach Michal Dolezal.
There were speculations that the 2022 Olympic Winter Games may have been the last chapter of Stoch's career as it is doubtful that the 35-year-old will perform at the next Olympics. However, in a Monday interview for local media the athlete claimed that he doesn't even think about retirement.
"We have a new coach and new energy. I would like to achieve more, I seek new challenges. I don't know what will happen tomorrow but I want to jump as long as possible. I'm focused on the future and I believe that I am able to increase my skills," the Pole said.
Kamil Stoch in ski jumping men's large hill individual event at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang)
"The last stages of the previous season were difficult for us. Maybe it wasn't a tragedy but we didn't perform as well as we wanted. However, we have a lot of experience. Now I'm fully motivated," the ski jumper added.
Stoch also praised the new coach Thurnbichler. "We understand each other very well. Thomas knows what he wants to achieve and he knows how to do that. We feel that the situation is under his control, that's why we fully believe in his project," he concluded. ■
