The Polish team for the World Junior Championships will comprise 32 athletes (18 male, 14 female). Poland has never come back from WJC without a medal and this year once again the team includes several medal hopefuls.
Arguably the top medal hope is 17-year old Sylwester Bednarek, who took the national youth High Jump record to 2.26m this year when he beat all of Poland’s top senior jumpers at the Kusocinski Memorial in June. Bednarek placed fourth at the 2005 World Youth Championships and will aim to move up by at least one place this time.
Another top contender in men’s events is the middle distance specialist Marcin Lewandowski, who has to his credit the fastest time at 800 metres by a European junior since 2002.
Lewandowski’s 1:46.69 ran this year would have qualified him for the senior team competing in the European Championships, but the young runner chose Beijing over Gothenburg on this occasion.
Other hopes for top placings on the men’s side are connected with: Artur Noga at 110m Hurdles, Mateusz Didenkow and Lukas Michalski in the Pole Vault and both relay teams.
Tina Polak is perhaps the most noteworthy female athlete on the team. The 18-year old only started competing in the one-lap hurdle event this year and has already set a national junior record with 57.40 while winning the national junior title.
In the women’s sprints, the fourth-placer from the last World Youth Championships, Marika Popowicz, has shown steady progress this year and will again be hoping for a high placing. The best hope in the field events will be the hammer thrower Alicja Filipkowska (62.91 this year).
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF
Men
100m: Jacek Roszko (SB 10.52), Jakub Lewandowicz (10.60)
200m: Mateusz Pluta (21.35)
800m: Marcin Lewandowski (1:46.69)
100m Hurdles (99 cm): Artur Noga (13.62), Wojciech Jurkowski (13.74)
High Jump: Sylwester Bednarek (2.26)
Pole Vault: Mateusz Didenkow (5.31), Lukasz Michalski (5.30)
Javelin Throw: Pawel Rakoczy (72.36)
Decathlon: Karol Bodula (7402)
4x100m: Jacek Roszko (10.52), Mateusz Pluta (10.52), Jakub Lewandowicz (10.60), Karol Kleina (10.67), Jakub Chrzanowski (10.76)
4x400m: Adam Burgiel (47.26), Marcin Klaczanski (47.44), Piotr Adamcewicz (47.56), Krzysztof Tylkowski (47.65), Grzegorz Sobinski (47.98)
Women
100m: Marika Popowicz (11.61)
200m: Marika Popowicz (23.69), Ewelina Klocek (23.75)
800m: Agnieszka Sowinska (2:05.43)
400m Hurdles: Tina Polak (57.40), Sandra Mazan (58.00)
Triple Jump: Sandra Chukwu (13.10)
Hammer Throw: Alicja Filipkowska (62.91)
Javelin Throw: Agnieszka Lewandowska (53.02)
Heptathlon: Olimpia Nowak (5314)
4x100m: Marika Popowicz (11.61), Ewelina Klocek (11.82), Agnieszka Ceglarek (11.86), Paulina Siemieniako (11.97), Aleksandra Kociolek (12.03)
4x400m: Tina Polak, Sandra Mazan, Agnieszka Sowinska, Katarzyna Szuba, Edyta Maciejewska
