– This is a huge distinction and great appreciation for me – says Aleksandra Mirosław in the recording she sent us in response to the information that you considered her success to be the moment of 2024 in the Polish sports. – Dear fans, thank you for every vote – says the Olympic champion in timed sport climbing
Of the 40,000 votes, you cast almost a quarter for Mirosław gold. Over 22 percent of all votes (almost nine thousand) gave the multi-record holder a safe victory in our plebiscite.
Wiktor Zborowski is among those appreciating Mirosław's great success. In his youth, the excellent actor was a player of the Polish junior national team. The injury ended his sports career, but not his love for it sports. – Four moments really moved me deeply – Zborowski said in our recent conversation. Zborowski started listing his moments of the year with Mirosław's victory. – It was the Olympic gold medal of Aleksandra Mirosław, our wonderful girl who runs on the wall at an incredible pace and adds world records to her gold – he said.
Another notable sports expert, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, has not forgotten about Mirosław. – I used to be the president of the Polish Olympic Committee, I feel strongly about every games, so I really appreciate Aleksandra Mirosław's Olympic gold medal. Maybe her discipline is new and it is not known how long it will remain in the Olympic program, but gold is gold, and in this case it is even more valuable because it was won in incredible style – Mirosław broke her own world records in Paris – emphasized the former president.
Mirosław spoke stronger than Fornal!
Kwaśniewski, Zborowski or legend of journalism Włodzimierz Szaranowiczemphasized that it is difficult to choose just one moment. You definitely chose gold Mirosław. The second moment of the year got 16% in our plebiscite. votes (over six thousand). And it is the unforgettable Olympic semi-final of Polish volleyball players against the USA, with a memorable speech by Tomasz Fornal.
In third place we have Iga Świątek's best moment of the last season. That is, she won a thriller against Naomi Osaka in the second round of Roland Garros, thanks to which Iga later won the entire tournament, and soon won an Olympic medal on the same courts.
And she was right behind Iga in the Sport.pl plebiscite Natalia Kaczmarektoday Bukowiecka. For breaking Irena Szewińska's seemingly immortal record from 1976. Our 400-meter runner set the Polish record while running for gold at the European Championships in Rome, and later achieved Olympic bronze in Paris.
Daria Abramowicz like the last puzzle piece
Mirosław also ran through Rome to her Parisian gold. A few months before the Olympics, she won the qualifying competition in the capital of Italy. In the process, she broke her own world record.
“As it later turned out, she had been going through difficult moments mentally before the start. – This season – especially in the last weeks – I went through a lot. I had a lot of falls because my husband-coach and I had to put a lot of things together – Mirosław said then. And her husband added that they learned a lesson that they had to change their approach a bit, because the tension that had been growing throughout the year was probably too great. It was on their way back from Italy that they decided to join the sports psychologist's staff. The titled athlete kept it a secret for a long time, because she told journalists about it only after winning the Olympic championship. Agnieszka Niedziałek recalled in her text about Aleksandra Mirosław's golden moment.
– It was eight months of hard work. Going into very dark places in my head. This work has now borne fruit. This was the missing puzzle that Mateusz and I decided to add, and thanks to that we have the gold. This is the shortest cooperation, but also a huge brick added to this medal – assured Mirosław, standing with us with the Olympic gold around her neck.
After some time, the champion revealed that she had worked with Daria Abramowicz, a psychologist who had gained great popularity thanks to her work with Iga Świątek.
“Ninth and tenth” – world records are counted silently
Mirosław gave up everything to win her dream gold in Paris and become the clear favorite. She went to the Olympics as the best athlete at least since the Tokyo Olympics, where she also broke the world record, but did not receive a medal. Because there, timed climbing was only one third of the combination. And therefore, the Pole took “only” fourth place overall.
“Even before she left for France, she decided to limit the stimuli reaching her. She then announced media silence – she did not give interviews and was not active on social media. As her husband revealed, she even changed her phone number,” recalled Agnieszka Niedziałek.
– For the last two weeks before the start, I didn't talk to anyone except people from the Olympic mission and my team, i.e. the coach, physiotherapist and psychologist – Ola Mirosław told us after her triumph in Paris.
On her way to the greatest success of her life, she broke her world record twice in the qualifying rounds. When Mateusz Mirosław came to talk to us, I told him honestly that Ola was breaking so many records that I was no longer sure if I was counting them all correctly. – It was her ninth and tenth world record – replied the coach and husband of the champion. The twinkle in his eye revealed that this was not the end. Although neither 30-year-old Mirosław nor her husband will announce loudly the next big things. Because even though they are definitely the best, they are still humble.
Moments of the Year 2024. Results
Dear Readers, thank you for taking part in this year's fun. This was the second edition of the “Moments of the Year” plebiscite. A year ago, you considered the European Championship gold won by Polish volleyball players to be the most important event in Polish sport. In that great season, our team defeated the Italian team 3-0 in the fight for the title in Rome. This is how you voted in detail in the Moments of the Year 2024 plebiscite:
- Aleksandra Mirosław runs up the wall for the only Polish Olympic gold in Paris. Along the way, he breaks his world record twice – 22.28% (8,716 votes)
- Tomasz Fornal speaks passionately to his colleagues at a critical moment in the Olympic semi-final against the USA. It works! Volleyball players secure an Olympic medal – 15.98% (6,250 votes)
- Iga Świątek returns from the dead in the match against Naomi Osaka at the beginning of Roland Garros and ultimately becomes the queen of Paris again. Unique this year, because he also won an Olympic medal there – 14.42% (5,642 votes)
- Natalia Kaczmarek breaks Irena Szewińska's record from 1976 and becomes European champion – in Rome she shows great form, which later gives her an Olympic medal in Paris – 12.90% (5,048 votes)
- Katarzyna Niewiadoma wins the Tour de France after an exhausting and extremely exciting end of the last stage – 8.76% (3,426 votes)
- Wojciech Szczęsny becomes the hero of the penalty shootout series in the play-off against Wales and Poland advances to Euro 2024 – 6.91% (2,704 votes)
- Julia Szeremeta introduces herself to Poland and the world. He revives our Olympic boxing, shines on the courts of Roland Garros – 6.36% (2,487 votes)
- Bartosz Zmarzlik comes to Vojens, where he was not allowed to start a year ago, and there he secures his fifth world title in his career – 4.20% (1,643 votes)
- Aleksandra Jarecka takes off her mask and screams with joy, and Poland screams with her, because in extraordinary circumstances our femé athletes win the Olympic medal – 4.17% (1,630 votes)
- Robert Lewandowski rules in El Clasico – scores two goals for Real at Santiago Bernabeu, leads Barcelona to a 4-0 victory – 4.03% (1,575 votes)