Robert Korzeniowski (© Getty Images)
BielskoBiala, PolandTriple Olympic race walking champion Robert Korzeniowski took the notable distinction of a 14th national 20km title last weekend at the Polish Championships (4-6 July) but highlighting on the track was some great sprinting and hurdling by some of the younger stars of Polish athletics.
The best result of the first day of the Polish Championships, was the 8.15m leap achieved by 1.73m tall Tomasz Mateusiak in men's Long Jump. He began his career in High Jump, becoming Polish U-18 Indoor champion. His short height made him change his event and he has become one of the smallest jumpers to reach 8m in Long Jump. Mateusiak’s elation though was tempered by the fact that his jump was slightly wind assisted, with the wind speed 0.1 m/s higher than the allowed 2 m/s.
Malgorzata Pskit (9th in Edmontion 2001 Worlds) dipped under the Polish Federation’s qualification mark for the World Championships in Paris, recording 55.30 seconds for the women's 400 m Hurdles in the heats on the first day too, as the weather conditions were superb. However, in the rainy conditions that prevailed the next day for the final, European bronze medallist Anna Olichwierczuk-Jesien (55.90) was better, and took the national title, with Pskit running 56.01 for second.
A record achievement was made by the World, Olympic and European 50km Race Walking champion Robert Korzeniowski who gained his 14th consecutive 20km title, though he did not try for any outstanding time (1:22.21) as the race was held in the rain on an uneven asphalt surface. Also the course loop’s length was just 500m. The champion overtook by 4 seconds the talented Benjamin Kucinski, but the 21-year-old thanks to Korzeniowski 's encouragement did achieve the minimum qualification time for the World Championships in Paris (1:22.25). Well-known 50 km specialist – Tomasz Lipiec showed his good form, crossing third over the finish line.
In women’s 20km event Robert’s sister – Sylwia Korzeniowska quite easily won for the third time. However, her 1:35:26 is not enough to qualify her for the team for Paris.
The fifth man in the European Championships 200m last summer, Marcin Jedrusinski showed great form at the weekend. On the anchor leg of the club 4 x 100m relay, he made up 4 metres on former national champion Marcin Nowak.
In the individual 100m, Jedrusinski was not the favourite, but in the heats he ran 10.22 (wind +2.6), and in the final went on to astonish everyone. He had a very slow start (slight injury after running in the inside lane in the European Cup 200m in Florence 200m which inhibited his start) but then caught up with his rivals by the 60m point before relaxing in the typical style of all the best sprinters to take the title in 10.07 seconds (wind +3.4) - the second best Polish all-time result.
After the race Jedrusinski said: “My coach, Tadeusz Osik, was happy because of my slow start, as the result would have been below 10.00 otherwise, although it can’t be officially recognised, due to the wind strength”. His coach expects that in Paris Jedrusinski’s result at 200m could be 20.10 or better. It is worth mentioning that in less than 2 weeks time, Jedrusinski will attempt to defend in Bydgoszcz, Poland his European U-23 200m title.
As such, with Jedrusinski in such greaqt form the final of the 200m race was awaited with interest. In the heats, Marcin Urbas ran very fast, with a 20.55 clocking in perfect wind (+2.0) which assured his individual start at this distance in Paris. In the final, Jedrusinski, unlike in the 100m, led from the start finishing in 20.38. Urbas was second, limping in the end due to a cramp (20.84).
The men’s 400 m Hurdles race was unable to bring any really worthy results. Polish record holder (48.16) Marek Plawgo competed for the first time in 10 months, winning in 49.93 and was the only runner to go below 50 seconds. The second of Polish convalescents Pawel Januszewski (1998 European Champion) has a lot of work in front of him to achieve the minimum for Paris, in Bielsko-Biala he ran only 50.62.
Krystyna Zabawska gained her twelfth women’s Shot Put title with a good result of 18.82. The Hammer Throw events were not of the highest level. The first of Poland’s reigning Olympic Champions, Szymon Ziolkowski did not compete due to an injury, and the other Sydney gold medallist Kamila Skolimowska settled for a throw of little more than 65 metres.
In the men’s High Jump Aleksander Walerianczyk become the second Polish high jumper to qualify for Paris (with junior Michal Bieniek), after bettering his personal best 3 times, from 2.27 to 2.32. Second was Grzegorz Sposob with 2.28, but that is not enough for the World Championships.
Aurelia Trywianska is bettering her personal record with each start this year, in Bielsko Biala she ran the 100m hurdles in 12.75 (wind +0.9) – the second best European result. Aneta Sosnowska came second (12.99), while Justyna Oleksy was third in her personal best of 13.09.
In women 200m, Anna Pacholak set her personal best of 22.87 to book a place in the Polish team for Paris. Second came Daria Onysko (winner of 100 m) also improving her personal best to 23.67. Dorota Dydo won two bronze medals – 100 & 200 metres.
Janusz Rozum for the IAAF
Results:
MEN
100 m (+3.4)
1 Marcin Jedrusinski 10.07
2 Marcin Krzywanski 10.20
3 Piotr Balcerzak 10.22
Heat 1 (+2.6)
1 Marcin Jedrusinski 10.22
200 m (+2.9)
1 Marcin Jedrusinski 20.38
2 Marcin Urbas 20.84
3 Lukasz Chyla 20.93
400 m
1 Rafal Wieruszewski 46.41
2 Piotr Rysiukiewicz 46.61
3 Artur Gasiewski 46.75
800 m
1 Miroslaw Formela 1:51.82
2 Grzegorz Krzosek 1:52.13
3 Tomasz Marks 1:52.32
1500 m
1 Zbigniew Graczyk 3:42.07
2 Marcin Fudalej 3:43.15
3 Grzegorz Wojtczak 3:45.01
5000 m
1 Radoslaw Poplawski 13:55.98 PB
2 Jakub Czaja 13:58.00
3 Dariusz Kruczkowski 13:59.33
110 m H (+2.2)
1 Artur Kohutek 13.74
2 Krzysztof Mehlich 13.79
3 Bartlomiej Szymanski 13.92 PB
400 m H
1 Marek Plawgo 49.93
2 Pawel Januszewski 50.62
3 Marek Motyka 51.31 PB
3000 m steeple
1 Rafal Wojcik 8:32.49
2 Jakub Czaja 8:34.55
3 Jakub Wisniewski 8:47.19
HJ
1 Aleksander Walerianczyk 2.32 PB
2 Grzegorz Sposob 2.28
3 Emilian Kaszczyk 2.28 PB
LJ
1 Tomasz Mateusiak 8.15 (+2.1)
2 Daniel Kaczmarczyk 7.82
3 Grzegorz Marciniszyn 7.69
TJ
1 Robert Michniewski 16.54
2 Konrad Katarzynski 15.48
3 Maciej Siwik 15.44
PV
1 Adam Kolasa 5.60
2 Przemyslaw Czerwinski 5.30
3 Daniel Nowocin 5.00
SP
1 Tomasz Majewski 19.63
2 Tomasz Chrzanowski 18.68
3 Jaroslaw Cichocki 18.66
DT
1 Andrzej Krawczyk 60.16
2 Michal Hodun 59.00
3 Olgierd Stanski 58.37
HT
1 Wojciech Kondratowicz 76.03
2 Maciej Palyszko 74.89
3 Krzysztof Kaliszewski 70.05
JT
1 Dariusz Trafas 81.98
2 Rajmund Kolko 78.48
3 Tomasz Damszel 76.93
20 km W
1 Robert Korzeniowski 1:22:21
2 Benjamin Kucinski 1:22:25
3 Tomasz Lipiec 1:24:02
WOMEN
100 m (+3.1)
1 Daria Onysko 11.50
2 Iwona Dorobisz 11.58
3 Dorota Dydo 11.60
200 m (+1.3)
1 Anna Pacholak 22.87 PB
2 Daria Onysko 23.67 PB
3 Dorota Dydo 23.89
400 m
1 Monika Bejnar 52.89
2 Anna Nentwig 54.31
3 Luiza Lancuchowska 54.70
800 m
1 Anna Zagorska 2:05.55
2 Joanna Buza 2:06.67
3 Joanna Kaczor 2:07.01
1500 m
1 Justyna Lesman 4:16.38
2 Anna Jakubczak 4:16.42
3 Malgorzata Jamroz 4:18.58
5000 m
1 Grazyna Syrek 16:04.69
2 Karolina Jarzynska 16:06.99 PB
3 Katarzyna Czyz 16:11.66 PB
100 m H (+0.9)
1 Aurelia Trywianska 12.75 PB
2 Aneta Sosnowska 12.99
3 Justyna Oleksy 13.09 PB
400 m H
1 Anna Jesien 55.90
2 Malgorzata Pskit 56.01
3 Marta Chrust 56.93 PB
Heat 2
1 Malgorzata Pskit 55.30
3000 m steeple
1 Patrycja Wlodarczyk 10:02.67
2 Julia Budniak 10:10.60
3 Edyta Lewandowska 10:13.03
HJ
1 Anna Ksok 1.92
2 Izabela Wojtowicz 1.81 PB
3 Agnieszka Giedrojc-Gurin 1.81
PV
1 Agnieszka Wrona 4.10 PB
2 Anna Rogowska 4.00
3 Anna Huculak 3.90
LJ
1 Liliana Zagacka 6.61 (+2.6)
2 Malgorzata Trybanska 6.52 PB
3 Bozena Trzcinska 6.36
TJ
1 Liliana Zagacka 13.88
2 Aneta Sadach 13.87
3 Malgorzata Trybanska 13.18 PB
SP
1 Krystyna Zabawska 18.82
2 Wioletta Potepa 15.95
3 Agnieszka Maciag 15.29
DT
1 Marzena Wysocka 62.70
2 Joanna Wisniewska 62.01
3 Wioletta Potepa 60.80 PB
HT
1 Kamila Skolimowska 65.07
2 Agnieszka Pogroszewska 63.60
3 Katarzyna Kita 60.74
JT
1 Barbara Madejczyk 55.57
2 Izabela Wojczakowska 51.98
3 Magdalena Czenska 50.20
20 km W
1 Sylwia Korzeniowska 1:35:26
2 Anna Szumny 1:37:44
3 Agnieszka Olesz 1:38:40
