POLAND WINS MEDALS IN QATAR! JDU STUDENT SECURES PODIUM FINISH

The Polish University Sports Team won seven medals at the World University Weightlifting Championships, which concluded in Doha on Saturday. Among them was a bronze medal in the clean and jerk won by Oliwia Drzazga, a second-year Dietetics student at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa.

After an eight-year break, weightlifting has returned to the programme of the World University Championships. The previous edition of the event brings back particularly fond memories. The last time weightlifters competed for World University Championship medals was in 2018 in Biala Podlaska, where the Polish University Sports Team was one of the teams that played a prominent role in the competition. At that time, the Polish team won a total of 11 medals across the snatch, clean and jerk and total classifications.

“Without tempting fate or getting ahead of ourselves, we have a chance, and we will do everything we can to return from the World University Championships with medals,” said Paulina Szyszka, coach of the Polish University Sports Team, before travelling to Qatar. Eight years ago, she was actively involved in organising the event in Biala Podlaska.

Her predictions proved well-founded, as all eight of our representatives performed very strongly in Doha. Maria Połka and Michał Kościuk had the most reasons to celebrate. The AZS AWF Biala Podlaska athletes, who study at the Biala Podlaska branch of the AWF Warsaw on a daily basis, reached the podium in both Olympic disciplines.

Połka, competing in the up to 61 kg category, won the snatch, while finishing second in the clean and jerk. This ultimately earned her a silver medal in the overall classification.

“On the one hand, I knew I had a chance of winning a medal at the World University Championships, but on the other, I did not really know my opponents. I am delighted that I managed to win this silver medal. I am very happy with the result, especially as my preparations did not go entirely as planned. I felt confident both during the warm-up and throughout the competition,” commented Połka, who competed in Qatar alongside her sister Zuzanna. She finished just outside the podium twice in the up to 57 kg category, placing fourth overall.

Kościuk, meanwhile, won two silver medals, one in the snatch and one in the clean and jerk, which gave him third place in the overall classification.

“My coaches prepared me extremely well. This year has been very difficult in many respects, but I managed to win the most important battle - the battle with myself. I am very happy because this medal is my greatest achievement since I started training in weightlifting eleven years ago,” said Kościuk, for whom the World University Championships in Doha marked his second appearance in the 75 kg weight category.

Oliwia Drzazga also won a medal in Qatar. The Jan Dlugosz University student, competing in the up to 53 kg category, performed considerably better in the clean and jerk than in the snatch, where she finished sixth. Drzazga won bronze in the clean and jerk, which placed her fifth overall.

Two further Polish competitors came close to the podium in the overall classification. In the women’s up to 77 kg category, Maria Karolak finished fourth overall (fourth in the snatch and fifth in the clean and jerk), while Michał Urban also took fourth place overall in the men’s up to 85 kg category (fourth in both the snatch and clean and jerk).

There were two Polish weightlifters in the latter category, with Mateusz Zawisza finishing sixth overall (sixth in the snatch and seventh in the clean and jerk). Patryk Barański also put in a solid performance in Doha, finishing fifth in the men’s up to 95 kg category (fifth in both the snatch and clean and jerk).

“The standard of the World University Championships exceeded my expectations. A lot of strong athletes came here, and the organisation was also of a very high standard. These are among the best competitions I have ever taken part in,” emphasised Maria Połka.

Paulina Szyszka, coach of the Polish University Sports Team, was also pleased with her athletes’ performances in Doha.

“I am actually very pleased. Many of our athletes achieved personal bests on the platform. We should remember that for some of the weightlifters, this is just one step on the way to a more important event – the European Youth Championships.

“As for the organisation of the Championships, the hosts set the bar very high. There was really nothing to complain about. The sporting facilities were very well prepared, and everything was also extremely well organised. There were no problems with transport or catering, so the organisers certainly deserve recognition,” commented Szyszka, who is pleased that weightlifting has returned to the World University Championships programme after several years.

“This is very good news. Only a selected group of athletes have the honour of representing their country at the most important competitions, while the World University Championships provide an opportunity for those just behind the national elite – athletes who are striving to reach the top and can gain valuable experience.

“I am pleased that people who combine sport with university studies have the opportunity to compete and meet athletes from other countries. This is also something quite unique about the World University Championships,” she added.

The Chinese Taipei team won the overall World University Championships weightlifting classification in Doha, ahead of Moldova and South Korea. Poland finished ninth.

The participation of the Polish University Sports Team in the World University Championships is supported by PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.

Polish University Sports Team – World University Weightlifting Championships
Michał Kościuk, Zuzanna Połka, Maria Połka (all AWF Warsaw – Biała Podlaska Branch // AZS AWF Biała Podlaska), Oliwia Drzazga (Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa // UMLKS Radomsko), Maria Karolak (AWF Warsaw – Biała Podlaska Branch // KKS Konstantynów Łódzki), Patryk Barański (Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa // LKS Dobryszyce), Mateusz Zawisza (Lublin University of Technology // Wisła Puławy), Kacper Urban (WSZiA University of Applied Sciences in Opole // Budowlani Opole).