Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński(15 January 1907 – 21 June 1940) was a Polishathlete,winner in the 10,000 meters event at the1932 Summer Olympics.
 Janusz Kusociński | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representing Poland
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1932 Los Angeles | 10,000 meters |
| European Athletics Championships | ||
 |
1934 Turin | 5,000 meters |
Biography
editBorn inWarsawinto the family of a railroad worker, Janusz Kusociński, orKusyas he wasnicknamed,playedfootballfor various Warsaw clubs as a schoolboy. He took up athletics in 1928 after joining the sport club "Sarmata". His coach there was the famousEstonian,decathleteAleksander Klumberg.
In his first competition at the Polish National Championships, Kusociński surprisingly won the 5000 m and cross country titles. He missed the next season, because he was called to duty by the Polish army, but he came back stronger than ever. He won the Polish Championship titles in the 1500 m and the 5000 m, in cross country in 1930 and 1931, and in the 800 m in 1932.
In 1932 Kusociński was working as agardenerin a park in Warsaw.[1]Just about a month before theLos AngelesOlympics, Kusociński ran a newworld recordin the 3000 m (8:18.8) and later that year, he set a new unofficial world record in running 4 miles in a time of 19:02.6. At the Olympics, Kusociński won a close battle against theFinnsVolmari Iso-HolloandLasse Virtanenin the 10 000 m, with a world season's best time of 30:11.4.
After finishing second in the first European Championships atTurinin the 5000 m in 1934, Kusociński decided to retire from athletics, but made a comeback in 1939 by winning the 10 000 m at the Polish National Championships.
Kusociński volunteered for the Polish army after Poland was attacked by theGermansand was wounded twice. During the German occupation he worked as a waiter, but was secretly a member of thePolish resistance.[1][2]Janusz Kusociński was arrested by theGestapoon 26 March 1940 during theAB Actionand imprisoned inMokotów Prison.He was executed three months later inPalmiry,near Warsaw.[3]
An annual athletics competition, theKusociński Memorial,is held in Poland in his honour. It was in its 55th edition in 2009.[4]On 12 August 2009, he was posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross with Star of theOrder of Polonia Restituta,"for outstanding contribution to the independence of the Polish Republic, for sporting achievements in the field of athletics".
References
edit- ^abWallechinsky, David(2004).The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics,Toronto:Sport Classic Books.ISBN1-894963-34-2
- ^Karski, Jan (1944).The Story of a Secret State.Houghton Mifflin.ISBN1931541396.
- ^"Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War".Sports Reference.Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2020.Retrieved24 July2018.
- ^Grinberg, Daniel (8 June 2009).Throwers dominate 55th Kusocinski Memorial.IAAF.Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
External links
edit
- Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński at the Polish Olympic Committeeat theWayback Machine(archived 19 August 2008)(in Polish)
- Janusz KusocińskiatOlympics.com
- Janusz Kusocińskiat Olympic.org (archived)
- Janusz KusocińskiatOlympedia
