Poland returns to the world’s top! Will there be medals at the Olympics?

The Polish national team had a very successful performance at the prestigious Grand Slam competition. The silver medal was won by Barbara Twarowska, who was only 18 years old (-52 kg category). This is her first medal in the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.

On the way to the final, she defeated, among others: Olympic bronze medalist from Paris, Larissa Pimenta. In the fight for gold, the Pole lost to the Spanish Ayumi Leiva Sanchez.

– This is an excellent signal that the next generation of players is growing in Poland, ready to compete with the best – admitted Krzysztof Wiłkomirski, president of the Polish Judo Association.

Successes of Polish judo in Budapest! Will there be Olympic medals?

Twarowska’s success, however, is not the end of good news in the context of the Polish women’s performance in the Grand Slam competition in Hungary. Fifth place was taken by Eliza Wróblewska (-78 kg), and seventh place went to Natalia Kropska (-63 kg). Additionally, it is worth appreciating the performance of Jakub Sordyl (+100 kg), who took fifth place.

– We are particularly pleased with the result of Eliza Wróblewska, who used the last months of preparations during the team training camps very well. Her performance in the capital of Hungary confirmed that consistent work and competition at the highest level bring results (…) Budapest, however, is another element of a larger puzzle. Angelika Szymańska returned to the team in July 2025 and since then she has consistently proven her class. The Polish representative regularly fights for the highest places, winning, among others, a medal at the European Senior Championships and winning the Grand Slam tournament. Her return and quick regaining of her place among the world leaders is one of the best examples of how a well-functioning training system can translate into results, says the coach of the women’s Olympic judo team, Artur Kłys.

A total of 504 players from 67 countries and 6 continents took part in this year’s Hungary Grand Slam.

– These results are based on the consistent work of the entire team. The national team returned to the training camp in Sierra Nevada, the first one in about 20 years, and the players also regularly use the camps in Papendal and Valencia, where they have the opportunity to train with the best players from around the world (…) The results from Budapest show something very important: Polish judo today has both players ready to fight for medals in the biggest events, as well as a young generation who is already knocking on the world’s top – adds President Wiłkomirski.

This is the result of the work of team coaches Artur Kłys and Tomasz Kowalski and the entire PZJudo staff. The team is also systematically strengthened; Dr. Amit Batra, who is responsible for physical preparation, has recently joined the staff.

The women’s and men’s teams are at a training camp in Bratislava. This coming weekend he will play at the European Cup tournament in Skopje, and from Monday (September 21) in Zakopane he will prepare for the world championship. The fight for the title of the best will take place in the capital of Azerbaijan – Baku, on October 4-11.

It is worth adding that in the history of the Polish Olympic movement, judo has brought eight medals, including three gold. The last time Polish judo was on the podium was during the 1996 games in Atlanta. The first medalist was Antoni Zajkowski, Olympic vice-champion at the Munich Olympics (1972). Janusz Pawłowski stood on the Olympic podium twice (silver 1988 and bronze 1980), and Marian Tałaj once (bronze 1976). Waldemar Legień is an Olympic champion from Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992). Paweł Nastula – gold from Atlanta (1996) and the only woman in this group – silver Aneta Szczepańska, also from the mentioned Olympic Games in the United States.

As you can see, 30 years have passed this year since the last Olympic medal for Polish judo. Will there be time for an Olympic breakthrough in Los Angeles (2028)? There is certainly a lot of potential for a positive future.