Tomasz_Majewski

Tomasz Majewski

Tomasz Majewski

Polish shot putter (born 1981)

Tomasz Majewski (born 30 August 1981) is a Polish shot putter and a double Olympic gold medalist. He is the third shot putter to successfully defend the Olympic title, first European to do so, and the first since Parry O'Brien in 1956.

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Career

Majewski stands at 204 cm (6' 81⁄2") tall and weighs 140 kg (300 lb).

During the Olympic final in Beijing on 15 August 2008, he threw 21.51 meters for the gold medal, Poland's first Olympic medal in shot put since 1972 when the late Władysław Komar took the gold.[1] Majewski was also the first Pole to win gold at the 2008 Olympics.

On 25 July 2009 in Barcelona he threw a personal best of 21.64 m and few days later in DN Galan in Stockholm, Sweden he improved upon this with a throw of 21.95 m, a new Polish record.[2]

At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships he threw a personal best and Polish indoor record of 21.20 m. However, the level of competition was so high that this was only enough for fifth place behind a Canadian record-breaking Dylan Armstrong. It was the first time in championships history that five men had gone beyond the 21 m mark.[3]

In the outdoor season, Majewski competed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and won the shot put silver medal. His 21-metre throw was beaten by a single centimetre as Andrei Mikhnevich took the title. He had shoulder surgery in the latter half of the year. Focusing on the 2011 season, he said that the strong form of his opponents was more of an inspiration than an obstacle: "Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa [both] went over 22 metres last year, the good performances of my rivals doesn't make me angry or worried, instead it acts as the best sort of motivation to get up to their level".[4]

At the 2011 European Team Championships he was the silver medallist behind David Storl and while his young German rival went on to win at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Majewski managed only ninth place with a best throw of 20.18 m. At the start of 2012 he broke his own Polish indoor record at the BW-Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe with a winning mark of 21.27 m.[5] In London 2012 he won the gold medal with a mark of 21.89 m and he became the first male shot-put thrower to defend his Olympic title since Parry O'Brien achieved that in Melbourne 1956.

Hobbies

His hobbies include basketball and playing video games.[6]

National honours

For his sport achievements, he received:
Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (5th Class) in 2008.[7]
Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (4th Class) in 2009.[8]

Personal bests

  • Outdoor – 21.95 m (2009)
  • Indoor – 21.72 m (2012)

His best attempt was in Sweden DN Galan (21.65 m, 21.95 m, 21.44 m, x, x, 21.83 m).

Achievements

Majewski took gold in Turin in 2009
Putting at the 2010 Bislett Games
More information Year, Competition ...

References

  1. [1]
    "A Polish 'pirate' steals Shot Put booty in Beijing". IAAF. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  2. [2]
    Nesi, Lorenzo (30 July 2009). "Majewski launches 21.95m Shot Put national record and world lead in Stockholm – IAAF World Athletics Tour". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  3. [3]
    Landells, Steve (12 March 2010). "EVENT REPORT – MEN's Shot Put Final". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. [4]
    "Majewski ready to rumble after shoulder surgery". European Athletics. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  5. [5]
    Gordon, Ed (13 February 2012). "Three world leads as middle distances steal the spotlight in Karlsruhe". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  6. [6]
    "Tomasz Majewski". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  7. [7]
    "Prezydent RP odznaczył olimpijczyków". 13 October 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  8. [8]
    "Lista odznaczonych medalistów". President of Poland. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  9. [9]
    (13 June 2013), at Championskips was 2nd, but Andriei Michniewicz was stripped of his gold medal in 2013, after failure of anti-drug test in the 2005, according to prosecution Retrieved 26 April 2018.
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