Stefan Hula Jr.


Stefan Jarosław Hula is a Polish ski jumper, four-time Olympian, a bronze medalist of the 2018 Olympic Games in team.

Personal life

Hula was born in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. He has a brother, Przemysław, and two sisters, Katarzyna and Magdalena, who were trained in sledging. His father, also named Stefan, was a former Nordic combined skier and bronze medalist at the 1974 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun.
In May 2012, he married Marcelina. They run together the company "Huligans" in which Marcelina sews suits for ski jumpers. Stefan and Marcelina have a daughter Milena. In March 2017, he announced the upcoming birth of their second child. On 23 March 2017, his second daughter was born.

Career

At the FIS [Ski Flying World Championships 2006|2006 Ski Flying World Championships], Hula finished ninth in the team and 37th in the individual events. His best individual World Cup finish was 6th in a large hill event in Kuopio, Finland in 2016. His best individual career finish was second twice in lesser events in 2005. In season 2017/18, he beat his best result and took 5th place in Oberstdorf.
On 21 January 2018 Hula and his teammates Stoch, Kubacki, and Żyła, won the first ever medal, a bronze, for Poland in ski flying in team competition. It was also the first medal for Hula in senior competition. On 21 January 2018 coach Horngacher officially appointed Stefan Hula to 2018 Winter Olympics. On 27 January 2018 he was chosen to team competition in Zakopane. Hula with teammates won team competition in Poland for the first time. It was also a first podium in World Cup for Hula. Next day, in individual competition Hula was leading after 1 round and overall took 4th place, which is his best individual result in World Cup.
Hula made his best at the 2018 Winter Olympics. In normal hill event, he was leading after the first jump, but he ended up in 5th place. On 19 February 2018, Hula and his teammates Maciej Kot, Dawid Kubacki and Kamil Stoch achieved the first medal in an Olympic team competition for Poland. They claimed bronze behind Norway and Germany.