Paris Correspondence
This year’s Games were not a time of missed opportunities. The Polish Athletics Association (PZLA) fielded a large but average team. There were several internationally renowned figures, about a dozen competitors who gave hope for a bright future, and – this is probably the largest group – many middle-class European athletes who go to major events because the meetings held in Poland make it easier to collect ranking points.
Natalia Kaczmarek came to Paris as the leader of the world lists, so we had the right to believe in the medalthat she won. Just as the 35-year-old hammers Paweł Fajdek and Wojciech Nowicki, chased by young and hungry, will fight for the podium, although the latter spoke after the qualifying rounds: : – I know there are expectations, but people: I’m old, I do what I can.
Anita Włodarczyk is a three-time Olympic champion and an expert in staying in shape for the most important competitions, but in Paris – these were her last Olympics – She couldn’t add the medal with the hammer. Five centimetres to go. Ewa Swoboda (100m) and Pia Skrzyszowska (100m hurdles) were close to advancing to the final, and Adrianna Sułek, returning to the sport after pregnancy, took twelfth place in the heptathlon. They have a future ahead of them.
Paris 2024. Maria Andrejczyk: Life has beaten me, but I have beautiful years ahead of me
A special case is that of Maria Andrejczyk, a notable Olympic figure. The javelin thrower has advanced to the finals of major events four times in her career, including three times at the Olympic Games. She finished fourth in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and second in Tokyo (2021), and has now qualified to finish eighth in the competition. “I ruined my concert work because the level was pathetically low,” she explains.
