Stanisław Marusarz (); 18 June 1913 – 29 October 1993) was a Polish

Nordic skiing Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the Ski binding, binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe ...

competitor in the 1930s.

Life

Stanisław Marusarz won a silver medal in

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

at the 1938 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

— the first Pole ever to earn a medal in the championships. He also finished sixth in the individual

nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic ...

event at the 1933 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

. Marusarz was named one of the best young talents in

in the late 1920s and earned his first national title in 1931. Many skiers outside of the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

(

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

), who dominated classical skiing in the early 20th century, considered Marusarz "the best Nordic combiner in the world after he

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...

." On 15 March 1935, he set a ski jumping world record at 95 metres (312 ft) on

Bloudkova velikanka Bloudkova velikanka ("Bloudek Giant"), also Bloudek-Rožmanova velikanka, is a large ski jumping hill in Planica, Slovenia, originally opened in 1934. In 2001 the hill collapsed and was completely rebuilt in 2012. A new normal hill (HS102) was als ...

hill in

Planica Planica () is an Alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking d ...

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

and gained international success and recognition. After that success, people waited for the moment when he would finish ahead of the Norwegians. His best chance came at the 1938 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in

where he struggled to win over the famous Ruud brothers: (

Birger Birger is a Scandinavian name from Old Norse, ''bjarga'', meaning "to help, to save, to protect". It is widely used in Norway as Birger but also as Børge. The Swedish variant of ''Birger'' would soon evolve into ''Börje'', however, the prior form ...

Sigmund In Norse mythology, Sigmund ( non, Sigmundr , ang, Sigemund) is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod. Sigmund is best known as the father of Sigurð the dr ...

, and

Asbjørn Asbjørn is a Norwegian and Danish male given name. In 2013, there were more than 7,000 men in Norway with this name. In Norway it reached the peak of its popularity between 1910 and 1930, during which period approximately 1% of children were given ...

). 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 style scores than his rival (and friend) Asbjørn Ruud, the youngest of the three Ruud brothers – who jumped 63.5 and 64 m. Asbjørn Ruud won the competition with 226.4 points. Ruud thought about handing the gold over to Marusarz during the medal ceremony, but he settled on naming him the "Moral World Champion". Marusarz was favored to win the ski jumping competition at the

1939 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1939 took place February 11–19, 1939 in Zakopane, Poland. This was the Polish city's second time hosting the championships after having done so in 1929. It also marked the last time the event officially took ...

in Zakopane, but finished a disappointing fifth because of an arm injury suffered prior to the competition. Marusarz took part in five Winter Olympics. He finished 27th in the 18 km cross country event, 22nd in the

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 participation (but not competition) was at Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 Winter Olympics, 1956, where at age 43 he ski-jumped as a forejumper. After the Nazi Germany, German attack on Poland in 1939, he joined the Armia Krajowa, AK and fought for Poland's independence until 1940, when he was captured and sentenced to death. However, Marusarz successfully escaped from a Germany, German prison and fled to Hungary, where he stayed until war's end. In 1966 he created a memorable moment for Polish supporters, when organizers of the Four Hills Tournament asked him to make a show jump. At age 53, Marusarz jumped 66 meters.

Brother

Stanisław's brother Jan Marusarz was likewise a prewar Polish Olympic skier. During World War II, Jan escorted famous Polish Special Operations Executive, SOE agent Krystyna Skarbek#Hungary, Krystyna Skarbek across the Tatra Mountains, on skis, from Hungary into Poland. After the war, Jan lived in London, England, where he served as a ''wikt:factotum, factotum'' at the Polish White Eagle Club.

Honours and awards

* Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari * Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta – 2010, posthumous award, posthumously; previously awarded the Commander's Cross and the Knight's Cross * Cross of Valour (Poland), Cross of Valour – twice * Gold Cross of Merit (Poland), Cross of Merit * Armia Krajowa Cross * Polish Army Medal – twice * Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 * Badge of Honor Soldier Army Headquarters * Distinguished Master of Sports, 1951

Ski jumping world record

References

External links

* . Nordic combined profile * . Ski jumping profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Marusarz, Stanislaw 1913 births 1993 deaths Olympic cross-country skiers of Poland Olympic Nordic combined skiers of Poland Olympic ski jumpers of Poland Cross-country skiers at the 1932 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1932 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1936 Winter Olympics Ski jumpers at the 1932 Winter Olympics Ski jumpers at the 1936 Winter Olympics Ski jumpers at the 1948 Winter Olympics Ski jumpers at the 1952 Winter Olympics Polish male cross-country skiers Polish male Nordic combined skiers Polish male ski jumpers Sportspeople from Zakopane Polish Austro-Hungarians Polish military personnel of World War II Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Armia Krajowa Cross Recipients of the Polish Army Medal FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in ski jumping

Life

Brother

Honours and awards

Ski jumping world record

See also

References

External links