"I Focus on What I Have to Do"
A conversation with Kacper Tomasiak, three-time Olympic medallist in ski jumping
Interviewed by Fr Adam Płonka
Interviewed by Fr Adam Płonka
Kacper Tomasiak is one of the greatest talents of Polish ski jumping in recent years. Born in 2007, the athlete of LKS Klimczok Bystra took his first steps on the jumping hill as a six-year-old. Raised in the Bielsko sporting community, today he is a student combining his studies with intensive training. At the Predazzo 2026 Winter Olympic Games, at just 19 years of age, he won three medals: two silver and one bronze – on the normal hill and the large hill. I conducted this conversation on the occasion of a meeting with the altar servers and lectors of the parish where Kacper served at the altar for many years.
On the bar:
Fr A.P.: Kacper, some time has passed since the Games. Has it sunk in yet that you are a three-time Olympic medallist?
K.T.: Honestly? Probably not entirely. I approach it all quite normally. I think the sight of so many people gathered here shows, a little, what really happened. But it has not sunk in deeply yet.
Fr A.P.: And what is the greater stress for you: the jump itself, or appearing afterwards in front of so many people?
K.T.: While I am jumping, I do not think at all about what will happen after the competition. I focus solely on what I have to do on that particular hill. The coach always gives some pointers, and I concentrate on those. At meetings like this one, it varies, but somehow I manage.
Fr A.P.: The road to the Olympic podium was certainly not easy. What drives you to work?
K.T.: I never focused on the distant future. I worked on what I had to do now – here and now. At the beginning, I did not think about what would happen in February or March. I thought about what was in front of me today. I think that is exactly what allowed me to grow.
Fr A.P.: What does an ordinary day of a ski jumper look like during a training camp?
K.T.: I sleep as long as possible – and listen to this very carefully! There is usually a training session in the morning, and if I am at a camp, one more in the afternoon. In between, I rest. And sometimes you have to break away for various meetings, like this one here.
Fr A.P.: And what does the work look like in spring and summer, when there is no snow?
K.T.: We usually have half of April off. Then we return to general fitness training away from the hill. In mid-May we are already out on the plastic matting. We treat the summer and autumn competitions more as training. The winter season is the most important, and everything is subordinated to it.
Three medals, one Olympics:
Fr A.P.: What did you feel when you heard you had become an Olympic medallist?
K.T.: Honestly speaking, I do not know exactly what I was thinking then. I tried to focus on the jumps themselves. And then everything blurred into one: exhaustion, euphoria, disbelief. Interviews, congratulations, conversations – and you are simply tired, though very happy.
Fr A.P.: How did your family react?
K.T.: They were certainly happy. I only saw them after a while, so I did not witness their first reaction. But they could not believe it – in a very positive sense.
Fr A.P.: Does Kacper Tomasiak still live a normal life? No paparazzi standing outside your house?
K.T.: Thankfully not. At home it is peaceful and much the same as before. A simple, normal, family atmosphere.
Fr A.P.: I am struck by your modesty, completely out of proportion to the scale of your success. Where does it come from?K.T.: I simply do not worry excessively about things – neither negative nor positive ones. I try to behave normally. And I suppose that is exactly what the people around me notice.
The altar server who jumps:
Fr A.P.: You were an altar server for many years – and I warn you, we are sticking to the principle that once an altar server, always an altar server. Did your formation as a server influence who you are as a person and as an athlete?
K.T.: I had not thought about it very often before, but I think it certainly strengthened my faith and helped me be closer to God. In the concentration before competitions, in the way I approach difficulties. It is somewhere at the back of my mind, and it helps.
Fr A.P.: The key question that interests everyone here: what was your favourite liturgical function?
K.T.: The thurible. Definitely.
Fr A.P.: So, a thurifer! The most prominent function! Altar servers, take that to heart – and I invite you to the May devotions, where you can practise.
Fr A.P.: Apparently, after winning your medals, you took part in Holy Mass. Where did that idea come from?
K.T.: The sports chaplain suggested it. He said that many athletes had done so before. I am glad we did it. During the Mass, you could rest from all the noise surrounding the competition. It certainly helped.
Fr A.P.: Whenever I watch you, I see the sign of the cross before the jump. What lies behind that gesture?
K.T.: I think then about everything working out. Not just the result. Simply that the jump would be good, that it would be safe, that a bit of luck would be on my side. The whole of it. That it would all just… work out.
Fr A.P.: What would you say to the altar servers looking up to you: how do you combine faith and passion?
K.T.: Faith helps in difficult moments. When motivation is lacking, when something is not going well, you can find support in it. It allows you to approach everything
positively and to enjoy what you do, despite the difficulties. I think that for someone with a passion, faith is no obstacle. Quite the opposite, it gives strength.
Fr A.P.: Does this connect in any way with the fact that you are also a student? A normal academic life is probably hard to reconcile with ski jumping?
K.T.: In general, there is support for athletes, so a lot of things can be handled online. Attendance at the university varies a great deal. You do not really experience student life in the full sense.
Questions from the floor:
After the conversation, the altar servers and lectors took the floor. Below is a selection of questions from the audience.
Question from the floor: How long have you been training?
K.T.: I was six years old when I made my first jump, but that was more for fun. Professional training began somewhere around the fifth or sixth grade.
Question from the floor: What did it feel like when you received the medals?
K.T.: There was certainly both happiness and exhaustion, one with the other. On the one hand, enormous joy; on the other, you are simply worn out by the jumps themselves and by everything that happens right after the competition.
Question from the floor: What do you feel during a jump?
K.T.: Silence all around. You do not feel the speed all that much. There is a strange calm and… well… Happiness.
Question from the floor: Does it hurt on landing?
K.T.: Generally not. Though when a jump goes exceptionally far, and the landing slope is already flat, a strange sensation appears in the shins afterwards—something like pain, but not very strong. During the jump itself, it is not there.
Question from the floor: Which hill do you like best?
K.T.: Recently, definitely Predazzo.
Question from the floor: Which skis do you prefer?
K.T.: I have jumped on Fischers from the beginning and have not tried others, so I cannot judge objectively. I can say that these suit me.
Question from the floor: What did it feel like to meet Kamil Stoch and the other leading jumpers?
K.T.: A bit strange at first, but they were very friendly, without any distance. It was easy to fit into the group nicely. Now Kamil has ended his career, so we see each other less often, but still from time to time.
Question from the floor: Apart from ski jumping, what sport do you like to watch?
K.T.: Formula 1.
Question from the floor: Kamil Stoch or Piotr Żyła?
K.T.: Kamil has more achievements, and his approach is one that can be imitated and will work for others. Piotr is a genius in his own way, but that approach works only for him. That is why Kamil inspires me more.
Question from the floor: I have heard that the Prevc family, the Slovenian ski jumpers, are very devout and that they are altar servers too. Did you manage to talk to them about it?
K.T.: I heard somewhere that they are indeed altar servers. At competitions, it is hard to have deeper conversations; you have to concentrate. You manage to say a few words, to greet each other, but it usually ends there.
Fr A.P.: Thank you, Kacper, for this conversation and for the time you have given our community. For all of us, not only the altar servers, you are proof that humility, hard work, and faith can be beautifully combined. A big round of applause!
Fr Adam Płonka
On the bar:
Fr A.P.: Kacper, some time has passed since the Games. Has it sunk in yet that you are a three-time Olympic medallist?
K.T.: Honestly? Probably not entirely. I approach it all quite normally. I think the sight of so many people gathered here shows, a little, what really happened. But it has not sunk in deeply yet.
Fr A.P.: And what is the greater stress for you: the jump itself, or appearing afterwards in front of so many people?
K.T.: While I am jumping, I do not think at all about what will happen after the competition. I focus solely on what I have to do on that particular hill. The coach always gives some pointers, and I concentrate on those. At meetings like this one, it varies, but somehow I manage.
Fr A.P.: The road to the Olympic podium was certainly not easy. What drives you to work?
K.T.: I never focused on the distant future. I worked on what I had to do now – here and now. At the beginning, I did not think about what would happen in February or March. I thought about what was in front of me today. I think that is exactly what allowed me to grow.
Fr A.P.: What does an ordinary day of a ski jumper look like during a training camp?
K.T.: I sleep as long as possible – and listen to this very carefully! There is usually a training session in the morning, and if I am at a camp, one more in the afternoon. In between, I rest. And sometimes you have to break away for various meetings, like this one here.
Fr A.P.: And what does the work look like in spring and summer, when there is no snow?
K.T.: We usually have half of April off. Then we return to general fitness training away from the hill. In mid-May we are already out on the plastic matting. We treat the summer and autumn competitions more as training. The winter season is the most important, and everything is subordinated to it.
Three medals, one Olympics:
Fr A.P.: What did you feel when you heard you had become an Olympic medallist?
K.T.: Honestly speaking, I do not know exactly what I was thinking then. I tried to focus on the jumps themselves. And then everything blurred into one: exhaustion, euphoria, disbelief. Interviews, congratulations, conversations – and you are simply tired, though very happy.
Fr A.P.: How did your family react?
K.T.: They were certainly happy. I only saw them after a while, so I did not witness their first reaction. But they could not believe it – in a very positive sense.
Fr A.P.: Does Kacper Tomasiak still live a normal life? No paparazzi standing outside your house?
K.T.: Thankfully not. At home it is peaceful and much the same as before. A simple, normal, family atmosphere.
Fr A.P.: I am struck by your modesty, completely out of proportion to the scale of your success. Where does it come from?K.T.: I simply do not worry excessively about things – neither negative nor positive ones. I try to behave normally. And I suppose that is exactly what the people around me notice.
The altar server who jumps:
Fr A.P.: You were an altar server for many years – and I warn you, we are sticking to the principle that once an altar server, always an altar server. Did your formation as a server influence who you are as a person and as an athlete?
K.T.: I had not thought about it very often before, but I think it certainly strengthened my faith and helped me be closer to God. In the concentration before competitions, in the way I approach difficulties. It is somewhere at the back of my mind, and it helps.
Fr A.P.: The key question that interests everyone here: what was your favourite liturgical function?
K.T.: The thurible. Definitely.
Fr A.P.: So, a thurifer! The most prominent function! Altar servers, take that to heart – and I invite you to the May devotions, where you can practise.
Fr A.P.: Apparently, after winning your medals, you took part in Holy Mass. Where did that idea come from?
K.T.: The sports chaplain suggested it. He said that many athletes had done so before. I am glad we did it. During the Mass, you could rest from all the noise surrounding the competition. It certainly helped.
Fr A.P.: Whenever I watch you, I see the sign of the cross before the jump. What lies behind that gesture?
K.T.: I think then about everything working out. Not just the result. Simply that the jump would be good, that it would be safe, that a bit of luck would be on my side. The whole of it. That it would all just… work out.
Fr A.P.: What would you say to the altar servers looking up to you: how do you combine faith and passion?
K.T.: Faith helps in difficult moments. When motivation is lacking, when something is not going well, you can find support in it. It allows you to approach everything
positively and to enjoy what you do, despite the difficulties. I think that for someone with a passion, faith is no obstacle. Quite the opposite, it gives strength.
Fr A.P.: Does this connect in any way with the fact that you are also a student? A normal academic life is probably hard to reconcile with ski jumping?
K.T.: In general, there is support for athletes, so a lot of things can be handled online. Attendance at the university varies a great deal. You do not really experience student life in the full sense.
Questions from the floor:
After the conversation, the altar servers and lectors took the floor. Below is a selection of questions from the audience.
Question from the floor: How long have you been training?
K.T.: I was six years old when I made my first jump, but that was more for fun. Professional training began somewhere around the fifth or sixth grade.
Question from the floor: What did it feel like when you received the medals?
K.T.: There was certainly both happiness and exhaustion, one with the other. On the one hand, enormous joy; on the other, you are simply worn out by the jumps themselves and by everything that happens right after the competition.
Question from the floor: What do you feel during a jump?
K.T.: Silence all around. You do not feel the speed all that much. There is a strange calm and… well… Happiness.
Question from the floor: Does it hurt on landing?
K.T.: Generally not. Though when a jump goes exceptionally far, and the landing slope is already flat, a strange sensation appears in the shins afterwards—something like pain, but not very strong. During the jump itself, it is not there.
Question from the floor: Which hill do you like best?
K.T.: Recently, definitely Predazzo.
Question from the floor: Which skis do you prefer?
K.T.: I have jumped on Fischers from the beginning and have not tried others, so I cannot judge objectively. I can say that these suit me.
Question from the floor: What did it feel like to meet Kamil Stoch and the other leading jumpers?
K.T.: A bit strange at first, but they were very friendly, without any distance. It was easy to fit into the group nicely. Now Kamil has ended his career, so we see each other less often, but still from time to time.
Question from the floor: Apart from ski jumping, what sport do you like to watch?
K.T.: Formula 1.
Question from the floor: Kamil Stoch or Piotr Żyła?
K.T.: Kamil has more achievements, and his approach is one that can be imitated and will work for others. Piotr is a genius in his own way, but that approach works only for him. That is why Kamil inspires me more.
Question from the floor: I have heard that the Prevc family, the Slovenian ski jumpers, are very devout and that they are altar servers too. Did you manage to talk to them about it?
K.T.: I heard somewhere that they are indeed altar servers. At competitions, it is hard to have deeper conversations; you have to concentrate. You manage to say a few words, to greet each other, but it usually ends there.
Fr A.P.: Thank you, Kacper, for this conversation and for the time you have given our community. For all of us, not only the altar servers, you are proof that humility, hard work, and faith can be beautifully combined. A big round of applause!
Fr Adam Płonka
