Jozef Schmidt at the Rome Olympic Games in 1960 (© Getty Images)
World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Jozef Schmidt, Poland’s two-time Olympic triple jump champion and former world record-holder, died on Monday (29) at the age of 89.
Born on 28 March 1935, Schmidt was encouraged into sport by his older brother. While he initially resisted and instead focused on his work as a mechanic, he eventually joined an athletics club and won his first medal at the Polish Championships in 1956 with a jump of 14.45m. Two years later, Schmidt – who was coached by Tadeusz Starzynski – won his first national title, jumping 15.97m in Bydgoszcz.
Major success soon followed and at the 1958 European Championships in Stockholm, Schmidt jumped a Polish record of 16.43m to win the first of his two European titles.
He made even more history in 1960, becoming the first athlete to surpass 17 metres in the triple jump when he soared 17.03m in Olsztyn. That was a world record he would hold for eight years.
After his performance in Olsztyn, Schmidt travelled to Rome for the Olympic Games. He set an Olympic record of 16.44m in qualification and returned later that day to jump 16.78m and 16.81m in the final to win the first of his two Olympic titles.
He won his second European title in Belgrade in 1962 and retained his Olympic title in Tokyo two years later, despite undergoing surgery for an injury in the lead up.
His final round leap of 16.85m, which improved his own Olympic record, secured him victory in Tokyo. He went on to compete at the 1968 Olympics, finishing seventh.
During his successful career, Schmidt represented Poland 40 times in international competition. He was a 19-time national medallist in the triple jump, long jump and 4x100m relay and was named Polish Sports Personality of the Year in 1960 and 1964.
World Athletics
