After an unexpected medal in the ski jumping the day before, Polish supporters were daring to dream again for another podium finish. Yet, the athletes were to leave empty handed despite their best efforts.

Early risers were treated to a battling performance by Maryna Gąsienica-Daniel in the women’s giant slalom. The 27 year old, who is the 6^th member of her family to appear at the Olympics, completed her first run in 59.24 seconds leaving her 11^th in the standings. Her second run saw her shave 1.37 seconds off her previous attempt, to finish a respectable 8^th overall. Compatriots Magdalena Łuczak and Zuzanna Czapska finished 26^th and 30^th, respectively.

Meanwhile, there was heartbreak for Hanna Zięba. The 16 year old had the opportunity to become the 4^th youngest Polish Winter Olympian in history, however on the last practice run this morning, the alpine skier injured her knee resulting in her withdrawal from her only competition at these Games.

Whilst the disappointment will be bitter and lasting, Zięba has a promising future ahead of her and it will be an inevitable optimism which she will share with Gąsienica-Daniel, who has cemented herself as a top 10 athlete and will have realistic aspirations of claiming a medal when the Games return to Milan in 2026.

Elsewhere at the Zhangijakou Zone, it was biathlete Monika Hojnisz-Staręga who was staking her claim for a medal today. She backed this up with a strong first-half performance and two flawless rounds of shooting, giving supporters hope as the biathlete found herself in 5^th place. However, she was left to rue her shooting consistency in the second half of the race, eventually finishing in 20^th place.

Former world junior champion Kamila Żuk finished in 36^th position, whilst Kinga Zbylut achieved 55^th place, and Anna Mąka further down in 85^th. These set of results meant that for the first time since Salt Lake City 2002, Poland did not have anyone in the top 10 for the women’s 15km biathlon.

Slides in form have also been painfully visible in the women’s ski jumping team as Nicole Konderla, Dawid Kubacki, Kinga Rajda and Kamil Stoch competed in the inaugural mixed team normal hill competition. Weak jumps from Konderla and Rajda, in relation to their female counterparts, left Poland in 6^th. Disappointment was compounded as the team finished behind Austria and Japan, who had a jumper each disqualified in a bizarre competition which saw a total of four disqualifications over equipment regulation failures.

In equally bizarre circumstances, speed skaters Natalia Czerwonka and Magdalena Czyszczoń made their appearance in the women’s 1500m. Whilst their inclusion in the competition would not raise an eyebrow, this was the first time they were on the ice in 12 days due to Covid-19 protocols. Despite a lack of preparation, Czerwonka finished in an admirable 19^th place, whilst Czyszczoń propped up the rest of the field in 30^th.

Klaudia Domaradzka successfully completed her first two runs in the women’s singles luge, placing 24^th going into the next stage of the competition tomorrow.