Stanisław Marusarz

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Medal record
Men's ski jumping
World Championships
Silver	1938 Lahti	Individual large hill

Stanisław Marusarz (June 18, 1913-October 29, 1993) was a Polish nordic skier who competed in the 1930's. He won a silver medal in the ski jump at the 1938 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, the first Pole to ever medal at the champioships.

Marusarz was named one of the best young talents in ski jumping in the late 1920's and earned his first national title in 1931. Many skiers outside of Scandinavia (Finland, Norway, & Sweden), who ruled in classical skiing in the early 20th century considered Marusarz the "best Nordic combiner in the world after [the] Norwegians."

Marusarz gained international attention in 1935 when he set the world record with the longest jump of 87.5 m. After that success, people waited for the moment when he will finish ahead of the Norwegains. His best chance came at the 1938 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti where he struggled to win over famous Ruud brothers (Birger, Sigmund, and Asbjørn). Marusarz made the two best jumps in competition of 66 and 67 meters, earning him a total of 226.2 points, but the judges gave him much lower scores than his rival (and friend) Asbjørn Ruud, the youngest of the three Ruud brothers - who jumped 63.5 and 64 m. The Norwegian Ruud won the competition with 226.4 points. Ruud had an idea to give the gold to Marusarz during the medal ceremony, but it lasted only on naming Marusarz "Moral World Champion". Marusarz was favored to win the ski jumping competition at the 1939 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane, but finished a disappointing 5th because of an arm injury suffered prior to the compeition.

Marusarz competed in five Winter Olympics. He finished 27th in the 18 km cross country event and 17th in ski jumping at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Four years later in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, he finished 5th in the ski jump and 7th in the nordic combined. After World War II, Marusarz finished 27th in the ski jump event both at the 1948 Winter Olympics and the 1952 Winter Olympics. His last Winter Olympic competition was at Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 where he ski jumped while at 43 years old!

After the Nazi attack on Poland in 1939, he joined AK and fought for Poland's independence up to 1940 when he was captured and sentenced for death. Fortunately Marusarz successfully escaped from a German prison and fled to Hungary where he stayed to the end of the war.

In 1966, he was author of very memorable moment for Polish supporters when organizers of the Four Hills Tournament asked him to make a show jump. Marusarz jumped 66 m at 53 years of age!

Marusarz's remembered in Poland as one of the greatest ski jumpers in Polish history. He's also another example of athletes whose career was destroyed becasue of war.