Great performance by Pia Skrzyszowska during the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow. The Pole achieved a time of 7.79 and won the bronze medal in the 60-meter hurdles competition. – My results today show that I am at the top in the world – emphasized Skrzyszowska after the race.
On her way to the medal, Skrzyszowska impressed already in the semi-final. She finished second behind the world record holder and equaled her own best result in her career, i.e. 7.78. In the final, she ran slightly slower – she reached 7.79 and won the bronze medal. – I ran the three best results of the season. I don’t know if it was the peak of my abilities, but at the world championships you run for places. This is definitely enough for me today. These results are great. They show that I am at the top of the world – said Skrzyszowska.
At the finish, the Pole made a throw across the finish line typical of hurdle races. – A year ago I injured myself with such a throw. Now I decided that I could even fall. The medal was important, and I felt that I was third, admitted the Pole. For Skrzyszowska, the world championship medal means fulfilling the goal she set for herself before the indoor season. – I wrote down at the beginning of the year that I wanted to win a medal here. So I have nothing to blame myself for. I am very satisfied with what happened – emphasized coach Skrzyszowski’s charge, who is privately the father of the medalist.
At the threshold of the ending indoor season, Skrzyszowska also said that she plans to improve Zofia Bielczyk’s Polish record of 7.77. – Today I repeated my two best results from last year, i.e. 7.78 and 7.79. It’s clear that the hundredth isn’t working for me. But if I am to run at this level and have a world championship medal, I will only say that Mrs. Zofia Bielczyk can continue to be happy with her record, Skrzyszowska laughed.
In the final race, which Skrzyszowska finished in third place with a world record of 7.65, the victory was sealed by Bahamian Devynne Charlton. – I ran with her in Madrid this year. There she was 0.01 away from the world record. However, I must admit that today I did not pay any attention to what was happening around me. I was most pleased with my result, but big applause for her, said the Polish hurdler.
The men’s 4 x 400 meters relay team, consisting of Maksymilian Szwed, Jan Wawrzkowicz, Daniel Sołtysiak, Mateusz Rzeźniczak, took fifth place in the final. The Poles achieved a time of 3:08.00, but they did not avoid jostling and contacts with rivals, which are natural for seeding races. – We got the first lane in the draw. He was not favorable. Maks gave his best during the first shift. I saw him fighting with a Kenyan at the band. I picked up the baton more or less on par with the Kenyan. Then suddenly my opponent started pressing on my back. I fought as much as I could, then so did Daniel and Mateusz – said Jan Wawrzkowicz after leaving the track.
In terms of average age, the White and Reds were the youngest team in the 6-team finalists. – We came here with a really young squad. I think we managed anyway. Getting to the final was already a big achievement. It is known that appetite increases with eating, so we thought we would be able to win this medal. However, let’s hope that this start is a good omen for the summer. We will fight for the Olympic qualification already in May in the Bahamas – reminded Mateusz Rzeźniczak.
Piotr Lisek finished his participation in the world championships without a height. After an unsuccessful jump to 5.50, the Polish pole vaulter first moved his next attempts to 5.65, and in the face of an unsuccessful jump also at this height, he left himself one last chance to jump to 5.75. Unfortunately, it also ended in failure. – Jumping 5.50 would have given me nothing. I came here to fight the best, so I took a risk. I’m sorry that I disappointed the fans, my family and myself – the experienced Polish pole vaulter summed up his performance in Glasgow.
The Polish national team ends the championships in Glasgow with two medals – a silver medal for sprinter Ewa Swoboda and a bronze medal for hurdler Pia Skrzyszowska. The next World Indoor Championships will be held next year in Nanjing. This will be an event that was originally scheduled to take place in this Chinese city in 2020, but was postponed twice to subsequent years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2026, Kujawy and Pomerania will host the indoor championship – the competition will take place in the Toruń Arena, well known to athletics fans.
PZLA