For the next - presumably his final - season, Adam Malysz is determined to reach for the stars one last time. The 31-year-old, who closed the 08/09 winter out in style as triple runner-up in Planica, plans to channel his energy and is likely to hold out the summer competitions.

Carefully, Malysz wants to prepare for the upcoming major highlight: the Olympic Games in Vancouver. The Polish veteran is still missing an Olympic gold medal in his collection. However, fulfilling the dream won't be easy as other established athletes are also focused on succeeding in Canada. Among those chasing their first gold: Gregor Schlierenzauer, Janne Ahonen, Martin Schmitt, Wolfgang Loitzl etc.

Lepistoe's hiring as turning point

Still, Malysz remains confident. As he even pondered an early retirement during one stage of the recent season, he hired his former coach Hannu Lepistoe. This desperate measure brought back memories of past glory, and indeed: Malysz steadily regained his form in the following weeks.

The success of the "eternal" Japanese duo Takanobu Okabe/Noriaki Kasai serves as prime example for him. While being 38 and 36 years old, they multiply topped much younger opponents and delivered excellent performances throughout the winter.

Rollercoaster season for Poland

The Polish rarely found the opportunity to work without distractions for a long time. Their domestic media repeatedly attacked coach Lukasz Kruczek who reportedly came close to getting sacked. The public attention is no surprise: together with Formula 1 racer Robert Kubica, Adam Malysz is the leading sports icon for 40 million compatriots.

But when Lepistoe arrived to advise Malysz, Kruczek had more time to take care of the other jumpers. The job sharing thus became a benefit for all team members - Kruczek is now experiecing a rather peaceful time.

Team spirit rebuilt

When Kamil Stoch finished fourth at the World Championships and the team repeated the result - surpassing expectations by far - the coach's reputations as well as the team spirit were re-established. The duo Kruczek/Lepistoe accomplished something that many others had failed to do: elevating the Polish mood onto a high level.

Lepistoe is now set to work individually with Malysz until Vancouver 2010 while Kruczek is responsible for the other athletes. Maybe the Polish way of dividing duties will actually present a golden ending for Adam Malysz.

Tags:malysz | olympic games | vancouver | lepistoe

Print