Władysław Kozakiewicz
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s athletics | ||
Competitor for  Poland |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | Moscow 1980 | Pole vault |
| Universiade | ||
| Gold | 1977 Sofia | Pole vault |
| Gold | 1979 Mexico City | Pole vault |
Władysław Kozakiewicz (born December 8, 1953) is a Polish pole vault jumper. Kozakiewicz was born to a Polish family in Šalčininkai (Polish: Soleczniki) near Vilnius (Polish: Wilno), in Lithuania.
Kozakiewicz broke the pole vault jumping world record three times, was European Indoor Champion in 1977 and 1979, Polish Champion ten times, and won a gold medal during the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
In 1984 he defected to West Germany, where he won the national title twice, in 1986 and 1987.
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[edit] Kozakiewicz's gesture
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This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010) |
In Poland, the Bras d'honneur became known as the "Kozakiewicz's gesture" (gest Kozakiewicza). Kozakiewicz made the gesture on July 30, 1980 to Russian spectators in the stadium during the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The crowd supporting Soviet jumper Konstantin Volkov booed, hissed, jeered, and whistled during Kozakiewicz's spectacular performance. Having just secured his gold medal position, Kozakiewicz made the gesture in defiance to the Soviet crowd. He later confirmed his dominance over the competition by breaking the world record, clearing at 5.78 meters.
The photos of this incident circled the globe, with the exception of the Soviet Union and its satellites.[citation needed] While international observers[who?] varied in their reaction to the incident, Kozakiewicz's act received much support in Polish society, which resented Soviet control over Eastern Europe. After the 1980 Olympics ended, the Soviet ambassador to Poland demanded that Kozakiewicz be stripped of his medal over his "insult to the Soviet people".[citation needed] The official response of the Polish government was that Kozakiewicz's arm gesture had been an involuntary muscle spasm caused by his exertion.
