Wojtek Czyz

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Wojtek Czyz
Personal information
NationalityGerman
Born (1980-07-30) 30 July 1980 (age 44)
Wodzisław Śląski, Poland
Medal record
Men's para athletics
Representing Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Paralympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens Long jump F42/F44
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens 100m T42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens 200m T42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing Long jump F42/F44
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2012 London Long jump F42/44
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2012 London 100m T42
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2012 London Men's 4x100m Relay - T42/T46
IPC Athletics World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Assen Long jump F42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Assen 100m T42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Assen 200m T42
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2011 Christchurch Long jump F42
IWAS World Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 BangaloreLong jump F42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 Bangalore100m T42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 BangaloreLong jump F42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 Bangalore100m T42
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 Bangalore200m T42
Men's para-badminton
Representing Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Oceania Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Perth Men's doubles
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2023 PerthMen's singles

Wojtek Czyz (born 30 July 1980) is a German para badminton player representing New Zealand [1] and former para athletics competitor from the Polish part of Silesia.

Contents

In 2001, he was an aspiring professional football player and had just signed terms with SC Fortuna Köln. [2] He ran for a loose ball, when the opposing goalkeeper rammed his knee, causing multiple fractures and compartment syndrome. According to Czyz, the injury was gravely underestimated due to professional failure. Due to delays in treatment, his leg had to be amputated. However, Czyz rebounded and established himself as one of the most successful German athletes in the T/F42 class for above-knee amputees.

Career

Athletics success

Eleven months after his amputation, at the German Championships in 2002, Czyz broke the national record for F42 long jump and won the T42 100m event. [3]

He won triple Gold Medals at the 2004 Paralympics. He won the 100 m and the 200 m dash the long jump for leg amputees, setting World Records in the latter two. [4] [5] In the European Championship of 2005, he repeated his triple crown, winning each discipline again.[ citation needed ] At the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships he again won triple gold medals. [2]

As of January 2013, Czyz is the world record holder in the Men's F42 Long Jump event. [6] He has broken his own world mark several times. [4] [7] He beat his 2008 Paralympics record twice at the 2009 IWAS World Games, but wind assistance invalidated both jumps. [8]

Para-badminton

Czyz moved to New Zealand in 2019 and took up para-badminton two years later. [9] In May 2024, Czyz was named as New Zealand's first-ever badminton representative for the Summer Paralympics. [10]

Personal life

As of September 2012, Czyz was a sport student in Cologne. [11] His personal motto is "Don't think of what you were, but of what you are and of what you aspire to be" ("Denk nicht an das was du warst, sondern an das, was du bist und zu sein dich sehnst"). After his sports career, Czyz sailed around the world with his wife Elena Brambilla to help amputees to get prosthetics for free and teach them how to walk with the project sailing4handicaps. After the project, Czyz and Brambilla set up a mānuka honey company called Manuka Royale in New Zealand where they dedicate their passion for nature.

Czyz now lives in the Hamilton settlement of Eureka with his wife and son.

Para-badminton statistics

Wojtek Czyz
Personal information
CountryFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
HandednessRight
Men's singles SL3
Men's doubles SL3–SL4
Highest ranking12 (MS 18 June 2024)
13 (MD with Abhijeet Sakhuja 23 April 2024)
Current ranking14 (WS)
21 (MD with Abhijeet Sakhuja) (24 September 2024)
BWF profile

Oceania Championships

Men's singles SL3

YearVenueOpponentScoreResult
2023 Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Perth, Australia Flag of New Zealand.svg Corrie Robinson 9–21, 8–21 Med 2.png Silver

Men's doubles SL3–SL4

YearVenuePartnerOpponentScoreResult
2023 Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre,
Perth, Australia
Flag of New Zealand.svg Corrie Robinson Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Jerome Bunge
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Laho Maiauka
21–3, 21–4 Med 1.png Gold
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kenneth Adlawan
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lachlan Boulton
21–9, 21–13
Flag of New Zealand.svg Oliver Linton
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Danny Ten
21–6, 21–6

BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (2 runners-up)

The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022. [12] [13]

Men's singles SL3

YearTournamentLevelOpponentScoreResult
2023Uganda Para-Badminton InternationalLevel 3 Flag of India.svg Chandra Prakash 19–21, 15–21Silver medal icon.svgRunner-up

Men's doubles SL3–SL4

YearTournamentLevelPartnerOpponentScoreResult
2023Uganda Para-Badminton InternationalLevel 3 Flag of India.svg Abhijeet Sakhuja Flag of India.svg Chandra Prakash
Flag of India.svg Naveen Sivakumar
21–14, 15–21, 17–21Silver medal icon.svgRunner-up

See also

References

  1. "Wojtek Czyz". Paralympics New Zealand. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Wojtek Czyz". ipc.infostradasports. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  3. Team Ossur: Wojtek Czyz
  4. 1 2 "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's Long Jump F42". International Paralympic Committee.
  5. "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's 200 m T42". International Paralympic Committee.
  6. "IPC Athletics World Records - Men's Long Jump". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  7. "Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's Long Jump F42/44". International Paralympic Committee.
  8. IWAS World Games 2009 - Athletics Results
  9. "Paralympics: Jurgen Klopp 'couldn't be more proud' of Kiwi friend Czyz". 1News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  10. "Paralympics: Four-time gold medallist Wojtek Czyz named New Zealand's first para-badminton player at Paris". Newshub. 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. "Wojtek Czyz". London 2012 Paralympics. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  12. "Para Badminton Tournament Structure Bids for Tournaments 2022 Onwards". Badminton World Federation . 29 May 2022.
  13. "BWF Para Tournamentsoftware". Badminton World Federation . 11 July 2022.