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| Walk Like a Man | |
| 2003-09-04 | |
| Polish race-walker Robert Korzeniowski won his third world championship title competing in Paris Aug. 27. This was the only medal for Poland in the Paris track-and-field championships that ended Aug. 31. "Hats Off," "Walking for the Gold" and "The Collector" were some of the headlines in Polish newspapers celebrating Korzeniowski's success. Winning the 50km walk, Korzeniowski yet again proved that he is unrivaled. A two-time Olympic champion, Korzeniowski has also become a three-time world champion, at the same time beating his own unofficial world record (officially, records are not noted in race-walking; see box for the final results). No other competitor has attained so much in the history of this event. Six-million-dollar man? During the competition, Korzeniowski took the lead from the start and did not give it up until he crossed the finish line. This does not mean that the race was unexciting, however. From a group of rivals who treaded hard on Korzeniowski's heels, Russia's German Skurygin proved the toughest contestant. Forty kilometers into the race, Skurygin began to narrow the gap and for a few kilometers the Pole maintained a few-second lead with the utmost difficulty. However, the finish belonged to Korzeniowski, who eventually won more than half a minute ahead of Skurygin, who received silver. Among the 39 competitors in the 50km, there were three other Poles as well. Roman Magdziarczyk did a good job, placing seventh with a personal best of 3h 44min 53s. The two other Poles, Tomasz Lipiec and Grzegorz Sudoł, were disqualified for improper style. Commenting on his rivalry with Skurygin, Korzeniowski said after the competition that, in a sense, the Russian had forced him to set a new world record. "I didn't think we could walk that fast; this was certainly the toughest march of my life. For the last 12 km, to tell you the truth, I was scared, because the Russian kept approaching even though I walked the fastest in my life at this distance." Skurygin, asked to comment, admitted that he may have contributed in some way to Korzeniowski's record. He also praised Korzeniowski, saying, "This is really a great athlete and a great man-a perfectionist in every respect. I tried to catch up with him, but I soon found out that it was impossible for me to pass Robert unless I started running." Skurygin added that his silver medal probably gave him no less joy than the gold gave his Polish competitor. "He is a machine-man, and I actually don't know if any machine could beat him, as it happens in chess, for example," said another Russian, Aleksei Voyevodin, fourth in Paris, when referring to Korzeniowski. Voyevodin expressed his unreserved appreciation of the champion, reminding him that a year earlier during an European championship, he himself tried-like Skurygin in Paris-to challenge the Pole's lead. "I did my best to outperform him in Munich for the gold, but nothing came of it," he said. The ultimate finish This might be the final world championship won by Korzeniowski. To the chagrin of Polish fans-among them President Aleksander Kwaśniewski and Sejm Speaker Marek Borowski, who both sent letters of congratulations to the winner-the Pole confirmed after winning that this was his last appearance in a track-and-field world championship. "I won't change this decision; I am definitively saying goodbye to world championships, and will end my sports career after the Olympic Games in Athens [next year]. Before I even noticed, Paris was my seventh world championship. Everything must have its end," said Korzeniowski, who turned 35 this year. The Pole made his world championship debut in 1991 in Tokyo; he was 10th in the 20km event. His impressive career began with the All-Polish Youth Olympiad in 1983, during which he won his first gold medal as a 15-year-old (see box for "The Honor Roll"). Over the past 12 years, Korzeniowski has alternately been training in Poland and France. After the competition, he expressed his satisfaction that his farewell to world championships occurred in Paris, of all cities. "I am very attached to France emotionally: my daughter was born here 11 years ago, and for 10 years I have been representing the French team US Tourcoing, in addition to the Wawel Elite Cafe Cracow team. Throughout this path, I was given fantastic, confidence-boosting Polish/French cheering," said the champion after the competition. Walkathon With his Paris win, Korzeniowski set yet another precedent. Following the decision of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Pole will be the first racewalker ever to receive a $100,000 bonus for achieving the best result in the world in the 50km walk. The payment of the bonus was initially uncertain because, according to earlier information, the IAAF was to begin granting bonuses to race-walkers starting next year. However, to Korzeniowski's financial satisfaction, the IAAF finally decided otherwise. With the bonus granted him for his championship title, the Pole will receive $160,000 in total. No other walker in the history of the sport has received so much money from the federation at a single event. Moreover, for his world championship title and record, the athlete will receive zl.50,000 from the Polish Ministry of Sports and Education, in addition to zl.100,000 from his sponsor. Who's next? Korzeniowski's performance proved that he remained the strongest foundation of Poland's track-and-field program. Thanks to his victory, in the official standings of the championships, Poland joined a group of countries that won at least one gold medal. With the competition concluded, however, the brilliant walker proved to be Poland's only chance for a medal. Despite this, Polish track-and-field lovers welcomed the successful performance of some other members of the national team. Aurelia Trywiańska did well in the 100m hurdles, ranking fifth in the finals with a time of 12.75s. Trywiańska was the first Polish woman to ever appear in the world championship finals of this event. She narrowly lost her bid for fourth place, achieving a result almost identical to that of Spain's Glory Alozie. The advantage of the latter was determined by a few thousandths of a second. Canada's Perdita Felicien earned the gold. Krystyna Zabawska did well in the shot-put, ranking among the top six competitors in the world. This was her greatest success in a world championship to date; earlier, during the 1999 championships, she was eighth. The three top places were taken by competitors who threw beyond 20 meters. Russia's Svetlana Krivelova took the gold, with 20.63m. Asked if it is possible for women to attain these results without taking special performance-enhancing substances, Zabawska said, "It evidently is if results like this are achieved. Perhaps those of the competitors who have much better physical conditions than me simply follow some brilliant nutritional system." Honor Roll World Championships Paris (2003): 50 km gold medal European Championships Munich (2002): 50 km gold World Championships Edmonton (2001): 50 km gold Olympic Games Sydney (2000): 20 km gold, 50 km gold European Championships Budapest (1998): 20 km gold World Championships Athens (1997): 50 km gold Olympic Games Atlanta (1996): 50 km gold European Cup (1996): 20 km 1st place World Championships Göteborg (1995): 50 km bronze World Indoor Championships Toronto (1993): 5,000 m silver World University Games Buffalo (1993): 20 km gold World University Games Sheffield (1991): 20 km gold Robert Korzeniowski is a graduate of Katowice's Academy of Physical Education. From 1987-93 he represented the AZS AWF Katowice team. Since January 1994 Korzeniowski has concurrently competed in the Wawel Elite Cafe Cracow and French team US Tourcoing. He is also director of the Elite Cafe Track-and-Field Group. Korzeniowski is married, with an 11-year-old daughter, Agata. 50 km walk, results from Paris: 1. Robert Korzeniowski (Poland)-3:36.03 (unofficial world record) 2. German Skurygin (Russia)-3:36.42 3. Andreas Erm (Germany)-3:37.46 4. Aleksei Voyevodin (Russia)-3:38.01 ..... 7. Roman Magdziarczyk (Poland)-3:44.53 | |
| (The Warsaw Voice) | |
