Background

Ethnicity: The family moved to Poland in 1958 as part of the last wave of the post-war repatriations of Poles living in the Soviet Union, first staying in a refugee camp in Gryfice before settling in Gdynia.

Kozakiewicz was born on 8 December 1953, to a Polish family in Šalčininkai, Lithuanian SSR, near Vilnius as the fourth and youngest of four siblings.

Career

Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz had a long and distinguished pole-vaulting career, spanning nearly twenty years and including two world records and an Olympic gold medal. Kozakiewicz’s first major international competition was the 1974 European Championships in Rome, where he won the silver medal with a clearance of 5.35m, the same height as the winner. The next year he set his first European record of 5.60m, and he further improved this record to 5.62m in May 1976. This made Kozakiewicz one of the favourites for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, but he injured his left ankle in his first vault in the final and finished in only 11th place. In 1978 he came fourth at his second European Championships in Prague, but his best year was definitely 1980. On 11 May 1980, Kozakiewicz set a new world record of 5.72m at Milan, only two months before the Moscow Olympic Games.

At Moscow, Kozakiewicz was invincible, clearing every height at his first attempt until victory was assured, despite the unsportsmanlike jeering from the partisan Soviet crowd who were supporting the Soviet vaulter Konstantin Volkov. No other vaulter could make the 5.70m height which Kozakiewicz cleared on his first attempt, before clearing a new world record of 5.78m on his second attempt at that height. Kozakiewicz was never as dominant internationally as he was in that season. One of his last representative appearances for Poland was at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, where he finished equal eighth. Due to political unrest in Poland, he defected to West Germany in 1984, where he won the West German national title in both 1986 and 1987. His last appearance in the top 100 rankings for the season was in 1989, at 36 years of age.

Achievements

• The 1980 Moscow Olympics is probably best remembered for the mass boycott over Russia’s war in Afghanistan, and the mascot Misha the bear. For Poles, though, the highlight was the victory of pole vaulter Władysław Kozakiewicz – an athlete who made Poland’s feelings towards the Soviet Union known around the world with a very forthright gesture.
  
  

Works

More photos

• book

  • Bad? kozakiem i dbaj o siebie
  • Nie mówcie mi jak mam zyc

Politics

By the late 70s it was clear that Russians were no longer particularly liked in Poland. The reverse was also probably true. Władysław Kozakiewicz felt this in person as he ran up to take his jump at the 1980 games. At each attempt he could hear the whistles coming from the stands: even when he had left his competitors far behind him and, as the only athlete left in the competition, was attempting to set a new world record for the pole vault. After he had cleared the bar with a new world record of 5.72 metres, Kozakiewicz leapt to his feet in joy, turned to the spectators, placed his left hand on his right arm, and made a fist as he raised his arm. Now as then this was a clear message: lick my a…!”.

The Polish athlete’s gesture was like a smack in the face to Soviet sport officials and party comrades The Polish ambassador in Moscow was summoned to answer to the affronted Russians and Kozakiewicz was forced to explain his action. In order to protect himself and his trainer he said that he always made such a gesture when he set a new world record. The laconic excuse worked.

But back in Poland in 1980 his gesture was seen as a courageous rejection of Big Brother in the East. In Polish culture the so-called “Kozakiewicz Gesture” / “Gest Kozakiewicza” still works a symbol of resistance. After the scandal in Moscow Władysław Kozakiewicz was no longer a welcome figure for sporting officials loyal to the Party. As a result he was continually the victim of arbitrary chicanery. When he was banned from taking part in sporting events abroad in 1985 he travelled of his own accord to a tournament in Germany, never to return. He was given German citizenship.

Personality

Physical Characteristics: Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)

Connections

Since 1977, Wladyslaw has been married to Anna Kozakiewicz, a former swimmer. They have two daughters Katarzyna (b. 1979) and Małgorzata (b. 1983).

Father:

Stanisław Kozakiewicz

Mother:

Franciszka Kozakiewicz

Spouse:

Anna Kozakiewicz

Daughter:

Katarzyna

Daughter:

Małgorzata

coach:

Walenty Wejman

Władysław Kozakiewicz was coached by him from 1966 to 1974.

coach:

Ryszard Tomaszewski

Władysław Kozakiewicz was coached by him from 1974 to

1981 and from 1983 to 1985.

coach:

Edward Kozakiewicz

Władysław Kozakiewicz was coached by him from 1981 to 1983.