Background
Sarna was born in Łódź to Stefana and Jozef Sałacińska and studied at the city"s XVIII high school.
Sarna was born in Łódź to Stefana and Jozef Sałacińska and studied at the city"s XVIII high school.
She was the gold medallist in the long jump at the 1969 European Athletics Championships and was twice a bronze medallist in that discipline at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. Her long jump best was 6.54 m (21 ft 51⁄4 in). She took up track and field in her youth, joining the Ogniwa athletics club in 1955 and made her international debut for Poland in 1959.
She continued to study during this period and ultimately gained a masters degree in physical education.
Sarna"s first national title was in the long jump in 1964 and her performance of 6.13 m (20 ft 11⁄4 in) equalled the championship record. She was chosen to represent Poland in that event at the 1966 European Athletics Championships and placed 15th.
A second Polish long jump title in 1968 gained her selection for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, being one of two Polish entrants alongside Irena Szewińska. The 1969 season proved to be the best of Sarna"s career.
She was entered in three events for the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens: the long jump, 100 metres and the 4 × 100 metres relay.
She reached the semi-finals of the 100 m and ran the anchor leg of the relay to bring the team of Krystyna Mandecka, Danuta Jędrejek and Urszula Jozwik to fifth in the final. The quality of the competition was not as high at the 1973 European Athletics Indoor Championships and despite only having a mark of 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in) she was again third on the podium, this time behind Diana Yorgova and Jarmila Nygrýnová. She also ran in the 60 metres at the 1970 edition, placing fifth.
Her indoor winning mark of 6.29 m (20 ft 71⁄2 in) remained the championship record until 1978, when it was improved by Anna Włodarczyk.
Sarna made the last of her 47 international appearances in the 1973 season. After retiring from the sport, she went into education as a coach and physical education teacher.
