Natalia Bukowiecka's 2024 was truly impressive! First, our representative won the gold medal at the European Championships in Rome in the 400-meter run, and then she won the bronze medal at the same distance during the Olympic Games in Paris. If that wasn't enough, she set a new national record (48.98 s), which she later broke (48.90 s). Moreover, Bukowiecka performed brilliantly at the meetings, regularly breaking the 50-second barrier.
Natalia Bukowiecka with a clear position on changing her name. These words say it all
In the meantime, the athlete was preparing for her wedding with Konrad Bukowiecki. It has long been known that this is one of the most popular associations in Polish sport. After months of announcements, on September 28, Bukowiecki and Kaczmarek finally got married. The ceremony took place in Wilimy on Lake Dadaj, approximately 50 km from Olsztyn. The guest list included several representatives of the sports world, such as pole vaulter Piotr Lisek, Marcin Gortat, Justyna Święta-Ersetic and Angelika Kuśnierz.
Even before she got married, the bronze medalist of the Olympic Games announced that she would change her name. She achieved this year's successes under her maiden name Kaczmarek, but now you have to get used to the fact that the 26-year-old's name is Natalia Bukowiecka. Some – especially on social media – accused the runner of making a bad decision in this matter. What does the athlete herself say about this?
– I don't understand these questions a bit. It's strange to me why people are interested in this. Maybe it's not even the questions themselves, but the comments that I did something wrong. I think it's my business and no one should judge it – said Natalia Bukowiecka in an interview with the portal WP SportoweFakty. By the way, she also admitted that both discs brought from the European Championships and the Olympics are extremely valuable to her.
– Maybe an Olympic medal is more valuable and it was the main event this year, but this race from Rome impressed me now. In fact, I forgot about it a bit, I didn't even have much time to celebrate this medal and Poland's record. I focused on turning off my emotions and continuing training. But I know it was a special moment, she added. Next year we will have further great athletics events, such as the World and European Indoor Championships.
– I would like to take part in the HME in Apeldoorn, that's my plan with the coach, but we'll see if it works. I think I will skip the HM World Championships in Nanjing. However, China is very far away, and we have the world relay championships in this country in May. And the competition doesn't sleep, we have to be ready to run very fast – she said in an interview with the mentioned source.