Ziolkowski ready to defend his title in Athens

the 50th Jubilee Memorial named after Janusz Kusocinski began with the men’s hammer throw, with 7 competitors having personal bests above 80 metres. With 2 months to go to the Olympic Games, defending Olympic champion Szymon Ziolkowski scored an important win. His 79.41-metre throw may not have been that impressive in terms of performances, but after the event he was very pleased.

“I won for the first time since the national championships in July 2002. And what’s more important I reached the qualifying standards for the Games. Now I can quietly begin my preparations for Athens, bettering among others my speed. I can’t tell you anything about my chances, because up to day I – not being sure about taking part in the Games – haven’t been thinking about it. But surely, the one most likely to win is Koji Murofushi, who is very strong mentally.”

In the years 2002-2004 Ziolkowski competed in 22 events and today’s was only is his second victory. His form also is gradually increasing. In his 4 competitions before the Memorial his best result had been a mediocre 78.30m and in Warsaw he threw 5 times above this length. Worth mentioning is the fact, that in second place was Vadim Devyatovskiy from Belarus (79.29), whose coach is also training Ziolkowski and the other Polish Olympic Champion from Sydney – Kamila Skolimowska.

It started to rain heavily after the hammer throw and therefore the results of the other events were badly affected by the conditions. The hurdles suffered the most and 1998 European Champion Pawel Januszewski in the 400m Hurdles (50.77) and Tomasz Scigaczewski in the 100m Hurdles (13.88) managed to take the win in somehow mediocre times.

The high jumpers felt a little insecure on the wet run-up. Grzegorz Sposob jumped above 2.30m for the third time this year giving up his other jumps. It was a good start for the European U23 Champion Aleksander Walerianczyk, who had his best jump of the season at 2.27m. They convincingly beat their foreign rivals including 2 Swedes – Linus Thotnblad and Steffan Strand - and the World Champion from Edmonton – Vyacheslav Voronin who only managed to jump 2.20m.

In the memorial 3000m, a distance at which Janusz Kusocinski was the World record holder (8:18.8), the Kenyans took the first 4 places. The winner was David Nyaga who won the Milan GP and was the only one to dip under 7:50 (7:49.57).

The 800m lacked the presence of Polish record holder Pawel Czapiewski who is still suffering from his heel injury. It was a tough battle between Grzegorz Krzosek who lead after 400m (52.99) and Wener Botha from South Africa. At the finish Krzosek was first in a time of 1:46.99.

In the duel between the two Shot Put World Champions of 2003 Manuel Martinez of Spain (indoor) and Andrey Mikhnevich of Belarus (outdoor), the win went to outsider Janus Robberts of South Africa. The World Junior Record Holder bettered his results in almost all of his attempts and in the last round he threw over 21 metres for the first time in 2 years (21.05m). 2 shoots of Martinez above 20 metres gave him the second place (20.09). A talented Polish shot putter Tomasz Majewski (4th at the last World Indoor Championships) didn’t manage to reach the minimum for the Olympic Games (20.30). He had only one successful attempt (19.92) and was still complaining about his stomach injury.

Third fastest Polish 100m of all time

There was a pleasant surprise in the men’s 100m (3 heats) in which 8 personal bests were improved. The fastest Pole this season, Lukasz Chyla reached the Olympic Games qualifying standard as he clocked 10.20, the third fastest time in the history of Polish Athletics behind 10.00 by Marian Woronin and 10.15 by Piotr Balcerzak.

Dariusz Kuc and Karol Sienkiewicz, both 18 years old, came close to the minimum for the World Junior Championships in Grosseto, running in 10.54 and 10.55 respectively.

In the men’s 400m race which served as selection for the European Cup in Bydgoszcz relay Piotr Rysiukiewicz, Marcin Marciniszyn, Robert Mackowiak and Artur Gasiewski crossed the finish line in this order, but the sensational winner was 24-year-old Piotr Klimczak (45.90), whose athletics career is very short.

Three years ago he was playing football in the Polish 5th league and bet with his friends (who were also studying in the Academy of Physical Education in Krakow) that he will run the 400m under 53 seconds. He had never earlier run this distance and his time was 50.0. In his first year of training he reached 47.12, last year he improved to 46.89 and this year to 46.76. He will run the individual 400m in Bydgoszcz.

Wins for Trywianska and Pyrek

Three Polish athletes ran the women’s 400m Hurdles in less than 53 seconds. Malgorzata Pskit who is already in the team for the Olympic Games was best (55.80). European Championships bronze medallist Anna Olichwierczuk-Jesien was beaten by Marta Chrust, who bettered her personal best from 56.79 to 55.97 and was promoted to the 4x400m relay.

Disappointing were the Polish 400m runners. The best of them – Grazyna Prokopek was fourth (52.45), triumphing were foreign athletes: Antonina Yefremova from Ukraine (51.42) and the relay World Indoor Champion from Budapest Tatyana Levina from Russia (51.68).

In the 100m Hurdles Aurelia Trywianska was trailing behind Daniele Corruthers on the last hurdle, but the Paris World Championships finalist was able to overcome her by 0.02 of a second. They both bettered their season best. Trywianska’s time of 12.79 was only 0.05 off her personal best.

In the women’s pole vault both Monika Pyrek and Anna Rogowska jumped 4.50m. Monika complained that she is not feeling very good in Warsaw and she promised to jump higher in Bydgoszcz where she set the best European outdoor result 3 years ago.

European Cup Team

After the end of the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial, the Board of the Polish Federation announced the teams for the European Cup.

Men
100m Lukasz Chyla, 200m Marcin Urbas, 400m Piotr Klimczak, 800m Grzegorz Krzosek, 1500m Zbigniew Graczyk, 5000m Radoslaw Poplawski, 3000mS Jakub Czaja, 110mH Tomasz Scigaczewski, 400mH Pawel Januszewski, HJ Grzegorz Sposob, PV Adam Kolasa, LJ Tomasz Mateusiak, TJ Jacek Kazimierowski, SP Tomasz Majewski, DT Andrzej Krawczyk, HT Szymon Ziolkowski, JT Dariusz Trafas, 4x100m Lukasz Chyla, Zbigniew Tulin, Marcin Jedrusinski, Marcin Urbas, Leszek Dyja, Przemyslaw Rogowski, 4x400m Piotr Klimczak, Artur Gasiewski, Marcin Marciniszyn, Piotr Rysiukiewicz, Robert Mackowiak. 

Women
100m Daria Onysko, 200m Anna Pacholak, 400m Grazyna Prokopek, 800m Anna Zagorska, 1500m Anna Jakubczak, 3000m Lidia Chojecka-Okninska, 5000m Violetta Frankiewicz-Janowska, 3000mS Justyna Bak, 100mH Aurelia Trywianska, 400mH Malgorzata Pskit, HJ Anna Ksok, PV Monika Pyrek, LJ Malgorzata Trybanska, TJ Liliana Zagacka, SP Krystyna Zabawska, DT Joanna Wisniewska, HT Kamila Skolimowska, JT Barbara Madejczyk, 4x100m Malgorzata Flejszar, Daria Onysko, Daria Dydo, Iwona Dorobisz, Beata Szkudlarz, 4x400m Grazyna Prokopek, Zuzanna Radecka, Anna Jesien, Malgorzata Pskit, Marta Chrust, Monika Bejnar, Anna Pacholak.

Full results are available at: http://www.pzla.pl/2004/kusy2004

Janusz Rozum for the IAAF