There have been a lot of famous Polish athletes, but in recent years, the focus has hopped between a few various contenders for the crown of Poland’s most beloved sportstar.
For some time, that seemed to be Adam Małysz. In the winter of 2001/02, the Wisła Eagle, as he was known came to prominence through wins in ski-jumping competitions, and became a household name and top contender easch season. He had a strong following, but as success tailed off after the 2006/07 season, he seemed to lose his edge. However, a strong finish gettgin solver in the 2010 Winter Olympics and more success before his retirement in 2011 meant he left well-loved.
Justyna Kowalczyk is another name seen as being well recognised across winter sports, with her having the all time record of 10 wins in the Tour de Ski cross-country competitions. She has a hugely impressive record, but has not always gotten the recognition for it, as her style her been based more on power rather than grace which many other skiers use. However, her popularity in Poland has lead to recognition and advertisement for a bank among others.
Robert Kubica displayed natural ability for motor racing from an early age, and with success in Formula Renault series, it seemed inevitable for him to move to Formula 1 racing. He built up experience through 2006 and 2007, which then culminated in a race victory in the Canadian Grand Prix of 2008. He continued to progress through 2009 and 201o, getting 7 further podium finished after his win. However, his crash in early 2011 while rally driving in Spain has resulted in him missing 2 seasons of Formula 1 , and there were questions over his potential return. Kubica returned to racing in September 2012.
Mariusz Pudzianowski won 5 World’s Strongest Man competitions, more than anyone else, and also finished in second place twice. He has recently switched to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) competitions, with 5 wins and 2 losses from his 8 bouts so far. During his time in the Strong Man competitions, he was a household name and would be easily recognised as one of the best.
Agnieszka Radwańska has made strong progress through the ranks of women’s tennis, improving steadily over the past few years and picking up 10 tournament wins. This was highlighted by her reaching the final of the 2012 Wimbled0n tournament, although she lost that over three sets to Venus Williams. She reached the world ranking of number 2 also during this year, showing consistent performance over sustained periods.
And now Jerzy Janowicz makes further tennis progress, this time on the mens side.
What connects all the above (in one way at least) is that they are all participating in individual sports, fighting for themselves rather than for a club, group or national team.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
