Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
JKS Dako-Galant Skibno: Poland |
Further Personal Information |
| Languages |
Polish, English |
Sport Specific Information |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began riding at age 10 near Koszalin, Poland, and entered his first competition at age 12. |
Further Personal Information |
| Higher education |
Economics - Koszalin University of Technology: Poland |
General Interest |
| Most influential person in career |
His family. (pawelspisak.pl, 25 Mar 2011) |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete, Coach, Horse Trainer |
Last Update |
| |
16 Mar 2022 |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
"My story with riding started by chance when I was age 10. I was encouraged to go to my first classes by my brother and the only thing I remember is that from the first moment, this sport totally fascinated me." |
General Interest |
| Hero / Idol |
German eventer Michael Jung, coach Andreas Dibowski. (Facebook profile, 26 Jun 2014; hotmag.pl, 18 May 2014) |
| Other information |
TOKYO DISAPPOINTMENT
He could not compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo as his horse Banderas did not pass a veterinary inspection before the event. "Dreams of an Olympic medal burst like a soap bubble in one second. I am terribly sad, I want to scream. My life and that of my family revolves around sports. Everything is subordinated to the preparations for the competition. In this case, the most important competition for every athlete. Lots of emotions and thoughts are in my head right now, but I know one thing. I don't feel that this unpleasant situation is my failure. Spending time on preparations, trips, training camps, I did what I love and what makes me happy. I met a lot of wonderful people who were kind to me. I have a loving and always supportive family behind me. Achieving a goal, whatever it would be, is always pleasant, but without the joy of life and daily work, it would be of little value. We all want to win, but not everyone is given it. This time I have to accept it. There are new challenges ahead of me. I won't lay down my arms. I will do everything to keep enjoying what I love to do." (Instagram profile, 29 Jul 2021; pap.pl, 29 Jul 2021)
EVENTING AND JUMPING
In 2020 he began competing in jumping as well as eventing. He was inspired to make the move by coach Michael Jung, who has represented Germany in both disciplines. "I am extremely lucky that I can work with the best eventing rider in the world. It's a great honour for me that the top world-class rider agreed to help me. When you observe [Jung] from such a close perspective, it gives you a lot of motivation. In addition, a very good horse called I-Mark W came to my stables. He doesn't have the stamina for eventing, so I started to train with him in jumping. I also got a few jumping horses to train ahead of national events and it all went well. It gave me a lot of pleasure, so I thought why not get more involved in it? I am not thinking about quitting eventing. As long as I have horses to ride in international top events it will be my main discipline." (tylkoskoki.pl, 07 Jan 2021; tvp.pl, 17 Aug 2017)
STABLES
He runs JKS Skibno in Sianow, Poland. He trains horses and coaches riders at the facility. (Facebook profile, 18 Feb 2022; Facebook page, 21 Jul 2021; Athlete, 18 Mar 2019) |
| Memorable sporting achievement |
His performances at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the 2007 European Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, and the 2009 World Cup Finals in Strzegom, Poland. (Athlete, 18 Mar 2019) |
| Ambitions |
To win a medal at the world championships and the European championships. (tylkoskoki.pl, 07 Jan 2021; Athlete, 18 Mar 2019) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Never stop improving and trying to be better." (Athlete, 18 Mar 2019) |
| Injuries |
An abdominal muscle injury meant he had to withdraw from the 2019 European Championships in Luhmuhlen, Germany. (Facebook profile, 22 Aug 2019; eventingnation.com, 15 Aug 2019) |
| Other sports |
He has competed in equestrian jumping at national level in Poland. (tylkoskoki.pl, 07 Jan 2021) |
Further Personal Information |
| Residence |
Skibno, POL |
