Will Vladimir Semirunniy give up his Olympic medal? A scenario straight from the Olympics
Wladimir Semirunnij is one of the heroes of the Polish national team at the 2026 Winter Olympics. As it turns out, the Olympic vice-champion has interesting plans for… his medal!
Vladimir Semirunniy won the Olympic vice-championship in speed skating over a distance of 10 km. A speed skater born in Russia, but living in Poland since 2023, fulfilled his medal dream. Although, as he admits, he would like this to be just the beginning of his successes in the Olympic arena.
WIN 2026: Will Vladimir Semirunniy give up his medal? Surprising news from the Olympics
As it turns out, the Olympic vice-champion may return his medal after returning to Poland. What exactly are we talking about? The skater admitted that one of the solutions would be to transfer the puck to the club where he plays.
Let us add that we are talking about KS Pilica Tomaszów Mazowiecki. Semirunnija’s coach is Roland Cieślak. However, let’s give the floor to the most interested person, the first medalist in the history of Polish Panchens at the Winter Olympics – over the long distance.
– I don’t even know if I want to leave it at home, maybe I’ll give it to a museum, maybe it will hang in my club. It would be nice in the club, he supported me a lot, helped me. I’ll think about it some more. I want to do something new more than enjoy what I already have, admitted the Olympic vice-champion with a smile, quoted by WP/SportoweFakty.
“Władek” will compete in two more distances during Winter Olympics 2026. It will be a 1500-meter competition and a mass race. Who knows, maybe the 23-year-old speed skater will add another ZIO album for Poland.
2026 Games in Italy. Where and when to watch the Poles’ starts?
The Polish national team during the opening games consists of 60 athletes. In the 21st century, there has never been a Polish woman or a Pole on the Olympic podium during the Winter Olympics. During the last winter games, Poland finished the competition with one medal. The bronze medal was won by ski jumper Dawid Kubacki in the competition on the normal hill.
It is already known that Kubacki’s result was beaten at the Winter Olympics 2026 by a debutant among Olympians – Kacper Tomasiak. The 19-year-old great talent won a silver medal in the normal hill competition and a bronze medal in the large hill competition in Predazzo.
Another Olympic runner-up, Vladimir Semirunni, who made his debut at the Winter Olympics, was also runner-up in the 10 km speed skating race.
In the history of the Olympic Games, the Polish national team has won a total of 26 medals – seven gold, nine silver and ten bronze, respectively. Interestingly, the first bronze medal for Poland was won by Franciszek Gąsienica-Groń (Nordic combined) almost exactly 70 years ago, during the Olympic Games in… Cortina d’Ampezzo. This year, history has come full circle in a beautiful Italian-Polish Olympic circle.
Broadcasts from Winter Olympics 2026 in Poland are provided by Telewizja Polska (TVP) and the Discovery group (Eurosport). The event will last until Sunday, February 22.
