Wojtek Czyz (born 30 July 1980) is a German para-badminton player representing New Zealand[1] and former track and field athlete from the Polish part of Silesia.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | German | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 July 1980 Wodzisław Śląski, Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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
editAthletics success
editEleven 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[update], 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
editCzyz 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
editAs of September 2012[update], 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 [1] 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
edit| Wojtek Czyz | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Handedness | Right |
| Men's singles SL3 Men's doubles SL3–SL4 | |
| Highest ranking | 12 (MS 18 June 2024) 13 (MD with Abhijeet Sakhuja 23 April 2024) |
| Current ranking | 14 (WS) 21 (MD with Abhijeet Sakhuja) (24 September 2024) |
| BWF profile | |
Oceania Championships
editMen's singles SL3
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Perth, Australia | Corrie Robinson
|
9–21, 8–21 |  Silver
|
Men's doubles SL3–SL4
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Perth, Australia |
Corrie Robinson
|
 Jerome Bunge Laho Maiauka
|
21–3, 21–4 |  Gold
|
 Kenneth Adlawan Lachlan Boulton
|
21–9, 21–13 | ||||
| Oliver Linton Danny Ten
|
21–6, 21–6 |
BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (2 runners-up)
editThe 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
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Uganda Para-Badminton International | Level 3 |  Chandra Prakash
|
19–21, 15–21 |  Runner-up
|
Men's doubles SL3–SL4
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Uganda Para-Badminton International | Level 3 | Abhijeet Sakhuja
|
Chandra Prakash Naveen Sivakumar
|
21–14, 15–21, 17–21 | Runner-up
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Wojtek Czyz". Paralympics New Zealand. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Wojtek Czyz". ipc.infostradasports. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ Team Ossur: Wojtek Czyz
- ^ a b "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's Long Jump F42". International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's 200 m T42". International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ "IPC Athletics World Records - Men's Long Jump". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's Long Jump F42/44". International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ IWAS World Games 2009 - Athletics Results
- ^ "Paralympics: Jurgen Klopp 'couldn't be more proud' of Kiwi friend Czyz". 1News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics: Four-time gold medallist Wojtek Czyz named New Zealand's first para-badminton player at Paris". newshub.co.nz. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Wojtek Czyz". London 2012 Paralympics. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ^ "Para Badminton Tournament Structure Bids for Tournaments 2022 Onwards". Badminton World Federation. 29 May 2022.
- ^ "BWF Para Tournamentsoftware". Badminton World Federation. 11 July 2022.
External links
edit- Official website (in German and English)
- Wojtek Czyz (New Zealand) at BWFBadminton.com
- Wojtek Czyz (New Zealand) at BWFPara.TournamentSoftware.com
- Wojtek Czyz at Paralympics New Zealand
- Wojtek Czyz at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics (alternate link)
- Wojtek Czyz (Germany) at the International Paralympic Committee
- Wojtek Czyz (Germany) at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)