The former president of the Republic of Poland was delighted. The Polish woman surprised. He still hears “Szewiñska”

Wojciech Nowicki’s four-year-old daughter commented: “Dad, such a pretty boy won, but he had such an ugly T-shirt.” Nowicki sat with us in the Polish team’s hotel in Budapest and laughed, joked, and was clearly happy with the silver medal of the world championships. He, the Olympic and European champion, was proud of himself because in a really great hammer throw competition he was beaten only by Ethan Katzberg from Canada. This strange-looking youngster aroused interest not only in our master’s little daughter.

Watch the video Natalia Kaczmarek won silver at the world championships. “You’re not running for personal bests here. It’s a race for places.”

Katzberg attacked from the second row, he made inhuman progress in 2023, not to mention surprising. His results were discussed as astronomical, but in fact – although he became the world champion – they are still small compared to the great monument that the Polish pitcher has already built for himself.

2015 World Championships – bronze 2016 European Championships – bronze Rio de Janeiro Games 2016 – bronze 2017 World Championships – bronze 2018 European Championships – gold 2019 World Championships – bronze Tokyo 2021 Games – gold 2022 World Championships – silver 2022 European Championships – gold 2023 World Championships – silver

This is a list of Nowicki’s starts in championship events. Complete. The strongman from Podlasie returns from every major competition with a medal. Always, from the beginning. After eight years at the top, Nowicki’s balance is 10/10. In terms of regularity, there is no one better than him.

A pattern that won’t chip

Nowicki is a model of diligence and normality. He finds it difficult to admit that he has achieved a lot and means a lot to Polish sport – it is only now, after so many great successes, that he is starting to say it shyly. And that’s only if you guide him to it.

This scene from Budapest says a lot about his character, his view of the world and his place in it: the day after the medal, Wojtek admits that he would like to quit for another five years, until the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. – It’s only five years, but when it comes to training, there are still five years of stress on the body. If the hammer stops flying, I definitely won’t go there. Going just to go is nonsense. It’s better for a young player to fly instead of me, he argued. And when we interjected that we knew from his trainer, Joanna Fiodorow, that he had assured her that he would not ride and “scatter”, Wojtek got confused and asked: – But I’m speaking colloquially, maybe don’t give me such a title, because it’s people will read.

He is only 25 years old and already has a bag of medals. He keeps hearing “Szewińska”

Nowicki’s silver medal was one of only two that Poland won at this year’s World Championships. Two years ago, we were happy that we were a power because our athletes won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Now we are more worried than happy, but it’s great that Nowicki maintains her level and it’s great that Natalia Kaczmarek is constantly raising her level.

The 25-year-old, who won Olympic gold and silver in relays two years ago, has been running under a lot of pressure this year. When in July she came 0.20 s closer to the 47-year-old Polish record of Irena Szewińska, the questions began: “Will you ever break Mrs. Irena’s record?” turned into questions: “When will you break Szewińska’s record?” She hasn’t beaten him yet in Budapest, although she was well prepared and was able to win the silver medal for herself and us.

How difficult is it to get an individual medal in the 400 meters? – Natalia Kaczmarek is taking part in one of these global competitions. Everyone runs 400 meters, there is not so much competition in the hammer – emphasizes Aleksander Kwaśniewski. We talked with the former president, and once the head of Polish sport, about the most important moments of Polish sport in the past year, and Kwaśniewski had no doubt that Kaczmarek had given us such a wonderful moment.

Natalia is the first European in 10 years to reach the World Championships podium and the first white runner in 14 years to win a World Championships medal in this competition. She is only 25 years old, she is still growing, in the sports sense, of course – she improves her personal record every season.

1 out of 10. You choose!

According to our editorial team, the silver medals of Kaczmarek and Nowicki are a moment in Polish athletics that was one of the 10 best in all of Polish sport in 2023.

We invite you, Dear Readers, to choose this one “best” moment. We recall all these moments together with people who love and know sport very well (including Adam Małysz, Zbigniew Boniek and the above-mentioned president Kwaśniewski). Our plebiscite started on December 15 and will end on December 30. You will choose the most important moment of Polish sport in a simple vote. Here are 10 suggestions:

1. World jumping championship won by Piotr Żyła. A spectacular jump in the second series and promotion from 13th place. Additionally: it was a defended title, because in 2021, Żyła was also the best on the smaller hill

2. Cardboard Dawid Kubacki carried by Anże Laniska to the podium of the World Cup general classification – a token of appreciation for Kubacki’s great season, who withdrew from the end of the competition to be with his sick wife. And Lanisek, who benefited from this and took third place, beautifully and symbolically took Kubacki as a decoration

3. Robert Lewandowski with the award for the title of top scorer in the Spanish league and the Spanish championship – his next success after serially winning the Bundesliga and winning the cannon for the best scorer in Germany

4. The first ever Polish final of the Volleyball Champions League. Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Jastrzębski Węgiel ruled. We have never had a Polish Champions League final in any of the top team sports before

5. Iga Świątek’s triumph in the Grand Slam Roland Garros – the third such victory in her career, strengthening the status of the queen of the Paris tournament

6. Medals of Natalia Kaczmarek and Wojciech Nowicki at the Athletics World Championships

7. The gold medal won by the Polish national volleyball team at the European Championships. In fact, it’s the icing on the cake, because the team led by Nikola Grbic had a great season – they also won the Nations League and advanced to the Olympics.

8. Volleyball players’ promotion to the Olympics. They will play in the Olympic tournament for the first time in 16 years – in the decisive matches they defeated the Olympic champions (USA) and the World Championship bronze medalists (Italy). Just like in the case of volleyball players – icing on the cake, because they had previously won the first medal in a world event in many years: bronze in the Nations League

9. Another world champion title won by speedway rider Bartosz Zmarzlik. With his great reaction to problems at the end – after the disqualification in Vojens in the penultimate tournament, he won the last one in Toruń, giving his rivals no chance

10. Spectacular finish of the season by Iga Świątek – winning the WTA Finals in great style (without losing a set and with the fewest number of games lost in history) and regaining number 1 in the world ranking

You can vote for your best moment in the poll below.