Olympic ski jumping silver, bronze medals lay on altar as young athlete’s faith goes viral

WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) — At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Polish ski jumper Kacper Tomasiak made history — and then went to Mass.

The 19-year-old captured two silver medals and a bronze, becoming Poland’s first ski jumper to win three medals at a single Winter Olympics. But instead of a flashy celebration, Tomasiak asked for a thanksgiving Eucharist, placing his medals on the altar in gratitude to God.

In Poland, a nation watching his rise as a winter sports star, it’s not only victory that defines him, but the foundation beneath every jump — his faith.

The teenage ski jumper stunned the international winter sports community with a groundbreaking performance at the Milan Cortina Games, winning three medals — two silvers in the individual and team events with Pawel Wasek, which took place Feb. 9 and Feb. 16, respectively, and a bronze in the individual large ski jump competition Feb. 14 — becoming the first Polish ski jumper to win three medals at a single Olympic Games.

His rapid rise immediately attracted commentators and fellow athletes, but beyond his records and athletic precision, Tomasiak’s sign of the cross before each jump has drawn nearly as much attention.

After winning his first silver medal, Tomasiak reflected on his performance with humility — which is, his friends say, his normal trait. “I don’t really know how I did it. I jumped well. Maybe not perfect, but very well. I’m definitely a bit tired after all of it, but I’m also very happy. This is the happiest day of my sporting life,” he said shortly after the event, according to Polish sports magazine Przeglad Sportowy.

For Father Edward Plen, a longtime Olympic chaplain of Polish athletes, that gesture reflects something deeply authentic.

“Kacper came to me and said it would be good to thank God for these medals,” Father Plen told OSV News. “He came, and I must say it was a Mass full of gratitude to God and for Kacper,” Father Plen said. “It was very moving. I said that the most beautiful thanksgiving for a medal is when the medals are placed on the altar and during the elevation — God himself comes to that altar, and looks not only at those medals, but above all at Kacper’s beautiful, pure heart.”

Catholic influencers around the world shared Father Plen’s pictures of Tomasiak’s medals laying on the altar during Mass in a Predazzo Church chapel.

Those who interact with Tomasiak describe him less as a rising star and more as a quietly focused young man. Father Plen said the athlete’s simplicity stands out in a sports culture often defined by media pressure and branding.

“First of all, he has great sensitivity and straightforwardness. He says only what needs to be said. There are no unnecessary words, but every sentence is like a perfect hit. And at the end, he smiles in a way that completes everything he wanted to say,” the Olympic chaplain said in praising the young athlete.

Father Plen said Tomasiak’s humility is striking, particularly given the scale of his achievements. Even after winning three Olympic medals, he continues to speak about improving his technique and sees success as responsibility rather than confirmation of personal greatness.

The priest compared that attitude to the spirituality of St. John Paul II, who frequently spoke about human talents as gifts meant to be developed and shared.

“He has received many talents from God and has not buried any of them,” Father Plen said. “He develops them. But he understands these successes as a task and a commitment for himself.”

Tomasiak’s faith is most visible not in statements but in daily habits — including serving as an altar boy and maintaining strong ties to his parish community in southern Poland’s Bielsko-Biala. The pictures of the Olympian during Corpus Christi parish procession went viral in Poland.

Father Marcin Aleksy, pastor of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Bielsko Biala, said the foundation of the athlete’s spiritual life begins with his family.

“First of all, he has a wonderful family,” Father Aleksy told OSV News. “Parents who are engaged in the domestic church, who live their faith. There are five children in the family. They regularly participate in the sacraments. And Kacper serves as an altar server together with his younger brother.”

Father Aleksy described Tomasiak as disciplined and calm, qualities that translate from Church service to professional sport.

“Someone once called him an oasis of peace, and I think that is accurate,” the parish pastor said. “Among boys who can sometimes be energetic and loud, he was always composed but ready to help. You never had to ask him twice if assistance was needed.”

According to Father Aleksy, Tomasiak received the sacrament of confirmation in the parish and chose the name David — a biblical figure known for courage rooted in trust in God.

The parish community followed Tomasiak’s Olympic competition closely. Father Aleksy said the athlete’s success has subtly united the parish and inspired young people.

“He is an example that belonging to the Church and being active in it do not contradict daily life or even achieving such success,” the priest said. “For many young people, that is important.”

Father Plen believes Tomasiak’s witness is particularly meaningful in a generation that often views faith as private or disconnected from professional life.

“Faith is not something he shows off,” Father Plen said, highlighting that faith is something deeply rooted in the medalist’s personality.

The priest added that Tomasiak’s public expressions of faith — especially the deliberate sign of the cross before jumps — are deeply intentional.

“When he sits on the bench and makes the sign of the cross, he does not rush,” Father Plen said. “Through that sign, he glorifies the Holy Trinity. It is a beautiful prayer.”

Father Plen often reminds athletes that success in elite sports requires mental clarity and emotional balance, which he sees as closely connected to spiritual life.

“The biggest problem for an athlete is the mind,” he said. “You go to the start line and your head must be clean, like a newborn child. That is when victories can come.”

Father Aleksy agreed, saying the athlete’s strong family support is a reason why many believe he will remain grounded — despite growing international fame.

“He has support in his parents and people who are close to him,” the pastor said. “From those relationships he learned his relationship with God.”

“These medals were won by Kacper’s family together with him,” Father Plen added. “It is a very united family. This young man has shown today’s world the value of the family and in that family this faith was formed — it began there.”

On Feb. 14, Tomasiak’s younger brother Konrad cheered Kacper as he jumped for silver, only to gain his own title at the local Zakopane ski-jumping Orlen Cup in Poland two days later, giving the Catholic country even more hope for future Olympics with two Tomasiak brothers on the podium.

Father Plen said that quiet consistency may be Kacper’s strongest testimony.

“You do not have to loudly proclaim that you love Jesus,” the priest said. “People who look at your life will begin asking about Jesus themselves. And that is the greatest victory.”

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