The athlete lost the fight for a prestigious tournament. These words say it all

The Polish Indoor Championships took place last weekend in Toruń. There were plenty of surprises, great comebacks and fierce competition during the competition. This took place in the 60-meter hurdles competition. Jakub Szymański is the best this season, which he confirmed again in the final. Despite his weaker starting reaction, he won with a time of 7.50. Krzysztof Kiljan took second place and also broke his personal record. It is now 7.59, which is the fifth fastest time in the history of Polish athletics. The lowest step on the podium was taken by Damian Czykier (7.60). – This poor exit from the blocks took away my chance for another Polish record today. With a reaction of 0.230 you cannot achieve such results. I’m not satisfied, but at the same time I know what I’m ready for – said the Polish indoor champion, quoted by pzla.pl.

Damian Czykier will not go to the World Indoor Championships

The deadline for obtaining qualifications for the 19th World Indoor Championships in Athletics, which will be held on March 1-3, 2024 in Glasgow, was February 18. As for hurdlers, the minimum qualifying time for the World Championships was 7.62. They were filled by Damian Czykier, Krzysztof Kiljan and Jakub Szymański. However, only two competitors from a given country can take part in the championship.

The Polish Athletics Association clearly wrote in its rules what it will do in such cases. In a situation where more than two players obtain the PZLA index, additional criteria will be taken into account. These include: obtained a place at the 2024 Polish Indoor Championships, which means that the former Polish record holder in hurdles will not take part in the championship.

The person concerned also commented on the situation. “What a Polish Championship hurdles final it was! I lost the trip to the World Championships by 0.005 seconds, but the emotions that Krzysztof Kiljan and Jakub Szymanski brought to the fans with our competition make me feel like a winner,” he wrote.

“I have two weeks more time to prepare for the Games, I intend to use it well to rest with my family, and then we will continue to work hard,” he added.

World Indoor Championships. Athletes with a minimum qualification

We will see many leading Polish representatives at the World Indoor Championships. These include, as listed on X (formerly Twitter) Athletic News, including: Ewa Swoboda, Pia Skrzyszowska, and Magdalena Stefanowicz. Poles with minimums for the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (March 1-3):

• 60 – Ewa Swoboda, Magdalena Stefanowicz & Dominik Kopeć (will not perform at the HM World Championships),

• 400 – Natalia Kaczmarek (does not start this indoor season), Anna Kiełbasińska (does not start this indoor season),

• 1500 – Sofia Ennaoui (does not compete this indoor season), Weronika Lizakowska, Martyna Galant,

• 60H – Pia Skrzyszowska, Weronika Naginać & Jakub Szymański, Krzysztof Kiljan, Damian Czykier,

• 5-fight – Adrianna Sułek (she will not compete at the World Championships, she is to return to competition in the summer season, after her maternity break).

“Of course, several Poles will qualify from the rankings (e.g. Norbert Kobielski in the high jump), and we can also expect many resignations and, consequently, relocations. There are no minimum results in the 4 x 400 relay (men’s and women’s, mixed relay will not be run) – it is the national associations that decide whether to run relays,” we read.