Up to now Polish athletes had failed to impress, leaving fans jittery about the nations chances of Olympic glory.
Stoch soared 135.0 metres and then 136.5 metres on Saturday, notching up a total of 285.7 points to claim the third Olympic victory of his career.
Germany’s Andreas Wellinger claimed the silver, with 282.3 points, while Norway’s Robert Johansson took the bronze, with 275.3 points.
Stoch is a two-time Sochi Winter Olympics champion and the winner of the prestigious Four Hills Tournament. His victory at the Pyeongchang Games cements his position as a national sports icon in Poland.
Ahead of the Games, Polish officials named ski jumping as Poland’s biggest chance of an Olympic medal in South Korea.
Polands Sports and Tourism Minister Witold Bańka said that it was realistic to expect that Polish athletes would bring home two to three medals from South Korea.
(pk/aba)