A son of the Cieszyn region, a soldier, an athlete, the greatest talent in the history of Polish equestrianism. Champion and vice-champion of the Olympic Games Moscow 1980.
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Born on December 18, 1941 in Drogomyśl.
Participant of three Olympiads: Mexico 1968, Munich 1972 and Moscow 1980. Olympic champion in jumping and winner of the silver medal in the Olympic Nations Cup in Moscow (1980). Of the 126 individual victories of Poles in CHIO-CSIO in 1956-79, 44 were won by Jan Kowalczyk.
17-time Polish Champion (Eventing - 2x; show jumping - 15x). He was the best rider of CHIO 1965 in Olsztyn (on Ronceval and Drobnica). In Aachen (also during CHIO 1966) riding on Drobnica, the competition of choice, he defeated all the world famous equestrians (Mancinelli, Pessoa, Steenken, Goyoaga).
Wiktor Olędzki: "Janek is a very difficult character, he needs a strong trainer's hand (...) But nobody has such predispositions to work with horses as Janek has."
John Kowalczyk died in Warsaw on February 24, 2020, at the age of 79. He was buried on March 4, 2020 with the Military Honorary Assistance in the family grave at the Northern Communal Cemetery /Wólka Węglowa/ in plot No. E-IX-3-2-1.
Polish Digital Equestrian Library:
Click on the links below to access related materials in the Polish Digital Equestrian Library (will open in a new tab):
"A word about Jan Kowalczyk" (2021) - Piotr Banasiak
"Jan Kowalczyk - a rider who loved horses and people" (2020) - Artur Bober
“The legendary Jan Kowalczyk is dead” (2020)
“The 'whole history of Polish horse riding' is dead” [link] (2020) – Dariusz Urbanowicz
“Squatting Breakfast” (2010) – Piotr Dzięciołowski
“History of horse riding, part XXXVI” (1998) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXXV” (1998) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXXII” (1998) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXXI” (1998) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXX” (1997) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXVIII” (1997) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXVII” (1997) – Witold Domański
“History of horse riding, part XXI” (1996) – Witold Domański
“Poles in the Nations Cup, 1923-1982” (1982) – Witold Domański
“Foreign performances of ski jumpers in the spring season” (1980) – Krzysztof Koziarowski
“Polish Riders at the Olympic Games in 1912-1976” (1980) – Antoni Święciki
Moscow 1980 – Jan Kowalczyk – Interview | MOVIE
“Jan Kowalczyk and Artemor” (1980) – Antoni Święcicki
"XXII Olympic Games Moscow" (1980) - Eryk Brabec
Jan Kowalczyk – Artemor – Olympic Games Moscow 1980 | MOVIE
Olympic Games Moscow 1980 – Nations Cup and Grand Prix [RU]| MOVIE
“European Jumping Championships, Rotterdam 1979” (1979) – Władysław Byszewski
“After 24 years in the Olympic competition” (1972) – Witold Domański
“For the Nations Cup” [link] (1968) FILM
See related articles:
Janusz Bobik
Rider, trainer, breeder, director. Nowielice SK. Silver medal of the Olympic Games Moscow 1980 (Champagne), silver medal of the Polish Jumping Championships 1977, Drzonków (Zygzak), bronze medal of the Polish Eventing Championships, Biały Bór 1977 (Tropik).
Piotr Wawryniuk
Twice Olympian (Mexico 68 and Munich 72), MP medalist (runner-up - Olsztyn 70 and champion - Warsaw 71) in show jumping. Riding instructor.
Wieslaw Dziadczyk
2,20nd Vice Champion of Poland in Show Jumping. Trainer at the Kozienice, Klikowa and Pruchna Stud Farms. A rider who jumped the XNUMX m obstacle "wall" on the mare Via Vitae. To this day, no height record has been broken on this type of obstacle in Poland.
XXII Summer Olympic Games – Moscow, 1980
July 29, 1980 - team silver medal in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
August 3, 1980 - individual gold medal - Jan Kowalczyk and Artemor.
ARTEMOR (Eros xx - Artemis)
The Polish horse on which Jan Kowalczyk won the Olympic gold medal in the individual show jumping competition and the team silver medal at the Olympic Games in Moscow, 1980.
Gallery:
