A three-time Olympian and now two-time bronze medallist, ski jumping's Dawid Kubacki secured Poland's first medal at the Winter Olympic Games in China.
Ski jumper Dawid Kubacki won Poland’s first medal of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
But despite his sporting achievements in finishing third behind Kobayashi Ryoyu and Manuel Fettner in the men’s individual normal hill, there's another reason he's going viral on social media - his love of dogs.
The three-time Olympian and now two-time bronze medallist after finishing third with Poland in the team large hill at PyeongChang 2018, said he hoped his ski jumping medal at Beijing 2022 would bring joy to his nation.
"I hope they are smiling because of me and I wish them a really good day," he said at the National Ski Jumping Centre in Zhangjiakou.
Three wide smiles he can definitely count on are those of his young family; wife Marta, daughter Zuzanna, and his social-media famous dog Berni.
Kubacki got married to Marta Kubacka (nee Majcher), a former fencer, in 2019, before they had daughter Zuzanna late in 2020.
Berni the Bernese Mountain Dog recently celebrated his second birthday, which Kubacki missed because of competition.
The Polish ski-jumping star often trains with Berni and posts updates of their adventures to his followers on social media.
At Beijing 2022, Kubacki turned around what he described as disappointing form this season, and after being in eighth place following the first jump on Sunday, he produced the second-best jump of the final round to move up to third.
"Myself and all of the team, we all know that we still have to work even if it's not paying off as we would like (it) to," he said.
"In the previous seasons, it was really great, we have a lot of good results. This year it happens to be not so good. We were working really hard, but we were not achieving our goals.
"But the only way to get out of this situation is to keep working, be focused on yourself and finally in one moment it will turn around. I believed in this, that some time, I don't know when, but some time it will be really great again and it happens to be today. I couldn't be happier."
The 31-year-old will receive the Beijing 2022 bronze in a Medal Ceremony at Zhangjiakou Medals Plaza at 19:55 local time on Tuesday 8 February, with little doubt that his family will be tuning in.
After picking up Poland’s fourth Olympic Games medal in the men’s individual normal hill, after silver (Vancouver 2010) and bronze (Salt Lake City 2002) by Adam Malysz, and the Sochi 2014 gold medal to Kamil Stoch, Kubacki said it was a special moment.
"It means a lot because I was working really hard for it, especially after the really tough start of the season to here.
"I'm really happy and basically speechless about my performance today because it was two really good jumps at a time when I needed (them).
"I haven't managed such good jumps since the beginning of the season, so I'm really happy."
The two-time world champion and now two-time Olympic Games medallist added he never lost faith despite the less-than stellar season for himself and his Polish teammates.
“I believed in this, that some time, I don’t know when, but some time it will be really great again and it happens to be today,” he said.
With all of the training with Berni at home in Poland prior to the Games, and the rising celebrity of his canine pal, Kubacki might have re-discovered the secret to his success.
Keep up with all the action in our Live Blog updates throughout Beijing 2022, here.