At 37, Kudela Surprises with Fourth Place at Ski Jumping Summer Grand Prix

Czech ski jumper Roman Kudela finished fourth at the opening stage of the Summer Grand Prix in Wisła, Poland, delivering his best result in years. He missed out on a podium finish by just ten points.

The 37-year-old veteran of the Czech national team scored 252.8 points after jumps of 121 and 131.5 metres. According to the competition organisers, this is his best result in the series since 2018, when he finished third in Courchevel. His second jump was particularly impressive.

The competition was won by Japan's Naoki Nakamura with 271.7 points. Austria's Wörgötter took second, while Switzerland's Deschwanden claimed third. Although several of the sport's top jumpers skipped the season opener, Kudela still managed to beat well-known rivals, including Polish Olympic medallist Aleksander Tomasiak and his compatriot Dawid Kubacki.

The season hasn't been easy for the Czech jumper: as recently as last summer, his best result was 14th place, and the winter season proved genuinely tough. Even so, he decided to continue his career. "Jumping still inspires me," he admitted ahead of the start of the summer series.

Among the other Czech competitors in Wisła was Viktor Rigel, who placed 55th with 87.4 points. In the women's event, Slovenia's Nija Klinec took the win, while the top Czech finisher, Jesika Nejedlová, came in 34th. The second competition of the stage takes place tomorrow afternoon.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz