Wojtek Czyz

Wojtek Czyz (born 30 July 1980) is a German Paralympic track and field athlete from Polish part of Silesia.

Wojtek Czyz
Personal information
NationalityGerman
Born (1980-07-30) 30 July 1980
Wodzisław Śląski, Poland
Medal record
Men's Paralympic athletics
Representing  Germany
Paralympic Games
2004 AthensLong Jump F42/F44
2004 Athens100m T42
2004 Athens200m T42
2008 BeijingLong Jump F42/F44
2012 LondonLong Jump F42/44
2012 London100m T42
2012 LondonMen's 4x100m Relay - T42/T46
IPC Athletics World Championships
2006 AssenLong Jump F42
2006 Assen100m T42
2006 Assen200m T42
2011 ChristchurchLong Jump F42
IWAS World Games
2009Long Jump F42
2009100m T42
2011Long Jump F42
2011100m T42
2011200m T42

In 2001, he was an aspiring professional soccer player, and had just signed terms with SC Fortuna Köln.[1] He ran for a loose ball, when the opposing goalkeeper rammed his knee, causing multiple fractures and compartment syndrome. According to Czyz, the injury was gravely underestimated due to professional failure. Due to delays in treatment, his leg had to be amputated. However, Czyz rebounded and established himself as one of the most successful German athletes in the T/F42 class for above-knee amputees.

Athletics success

Eleven months after his amputation, at the German Championships in 2002, Czyz broke the National record for F42 long jump and won the T42 100m event.[2]

He won triple Gold Medals at the 2004 Paralympics. He won the 100 m and the 200 m dash the long jump for leg amputees, setting World Records in the latter two.[3][4] In the European Championship of 2005, he repeated his triple crown, winning each discipline again. At the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships he again won triple gold medals.[1]

As of January 2013, Czyz is world record holder in the Men's F42 Long Jump event.[5] He has broken his own world mark several times.[3][6] He beat his 2008 Paralympics record twice at the 2009 IWAS World Games, but wind assistance invalidated both jumps.[7]

Personal life

As of September 2012, Czyz was a sport student in Cologne.[8] His personal motto is "don't think of what you were, but of what you are and of what you aspire to be" ("denk nicht an das was du warst, sondern an das, was du bist und zu sein dich sehnst").

See also

References
  1. "Wojtek Czyz". ipc.infostradasports. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  2. Team Ossur: Wojtek Czyz
  3. "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's Long Jump F42". International Paralympic Committee.
  4. "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's 200 m T42". International Paralympic Committee.
  5. "IPC Athletics World Records - Men's Long Jump". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  6. "Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's Long Jump F42/44". International Paralympic Committee.
  7. IWAS World Games 2009 - Athletics Results
  8. "Wojtek Czyz". London 2012 Paralympics. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
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