Bartosz Kurek
Bartosz Kurek | |||||
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Bartosz Kurek (2018) | |||||
Personal information | |||||
Full name | Bartosz Kamil Kurek | ||||
Nickname | Kuraś | ||||
Nationality | Polish | ||||
Born | Wałbrzych, Poland | 29 August 1988||||
Height | 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) | ||||
Weight | 105 kg (231 lb) | ||||
Spike | 370 cm (146 in) | ||||
Block | 340 cm (134 in) | ||||
Volleyball information | |||||
Position | Outside hitter/Opposite | ||||
Current club | ONICO Warszawa | ||||
Number | 12 (club), 6 (national team) | ||||
Career | |||||
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National team | |||||
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Last updated: 6 December 2018 |
Bartosz Kamil Kurek (born 29 August 1988) is a Polish volleyball player, a member of Poland men's national volleyball team and Polish club ONICO Warszawa. He was a participant at the Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016), and he is a 2018 World Champion, 2009 European Champion, a gold medalist of the 2012 World League, silver medalist of the 2011 World Cup, bronze medalist of the 2011 World League, 2011 European Championship and 2015 World Cup, three-time Polish Champion (2009, 2010, 2011) and Italian Champion (2014). In 2019, he became the first volleyball player to be voted the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Kurek.jpg/220px-Kurek.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Bartosz_Kurek_%286203589096%29.jpg/220px-Bartosz_Kurek_%286203589096%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Rado%C5%9B%C4%87_polskich_siatkarzy.jpg/220px-Rado%C5%9B%C4%87_polskich_siatkarzy.jpg)
Career
Clubs
Kurek began his career in a team from Nysa (2004–2005), where he played alongside his father. He then spent 3 years playing for a PlusLiga club, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle (2005–2008).
In 2008, he moved to PGE Skra Bełchatów, one of the most successful teams in the Polish PlusLiga, where he quickly became a key player. With PGE Skra he won the Polish Championship three times in 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and claimed a silver medal in 2011/2012. He won the Polish Cup three times; in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He also has two Club World Championships silver medals, from 2009 and 2010. In 2010 PGE Skra Belchatów, with Bartosz Kurek, won the bronze medal in the CEV Champions League. On March 18, 2012 PGE Skra won the CEV Champions League silver medal after losing to Zenit Kazan in the final in Łódź, Poland. Kurek received the award for Best Spiker of CEV Champions League 2011/2012.
After the season 2011/2012 he left PGE Skra Bełchatów and signed a contract with Russian club VC Dynamo Moscow;[1] however, due to injury, he was unable to play for his new club for large part of the season.
After one season in Russia, Kurek moved to Italian club Lube Banca Macerata. In 2013/2014, the team won Scudetto (Italian Championship) in the final against Sir Safety Perugia.[2][3][4] On October 15, 2014 Lube Banca Macerata, including Kurek, won the Italian Super Cup, beating Copra Elior Piacenza (3-2).[5] On May 4, 2015 Kurek signed a 1+1 contract with Asseco Resovia Rzeszów.[6] After winning a silver medal in the Polish Championship he left Resovia and signed a contract with Japanese club JT Thunders Hiroshima.
On October 2, 2016 he announced interrupting of his sporting career because of physical and mental fatigue. At the same time he terminated the contract with the Japanese club JT Thunders Hiroshima.[7] Later Kurek moved back to his former club PGE Skra Bełchatów, starting from September 2016.[8]
After 2 months in Polish club Stocznia Szczecin, club had a financial issues and Kurek did not receive his reward (300.000 PLN). On November 29, 2018 his contract was dissloved by both sides agreement. On December 6, 2018 he joined ONICO Warszawa as a free player after leaving from Stocznia Szczecin a few days earlier[9].
National team
Kurek was in the Polish squad when the Polish national team won the gold medal at the European Championship 2009.[10] On September 14, 2009 he was awarded Knight's Cross of Polonia Restituta.[11] The Order was conferred on the following day by the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk. On July 10, 2011 Kurek, with his national team, won the Poland's first medal in the World League. They won bronze medal after defeating Argentina. Kurek received the award for Best Scorer of the finals tournament.[12] Next for Poland was the European Championship 2011, where they were the defending champions. Kurek was his team's key player throughout the tournament and Polish national team won a second medal in 2011 - a bronze after winning the bronze medal match against Russia. At this tournament Kurek won his second individual award in 2011, for Best Server.[13] In November 2011, despite a back injury, Kurek went to Japan to participate in the World Cup and helped his team win silver medal and therefore qualify for the Olympic Games.[14] On July 8, 2012 the Polish team won gold medal of the World League 2012. Kurek received the award for Most Valuable Player.[15][16] Kurek was one of the key players of the Polish team at the Olympic Games London 2012, but Poland lost in the quarterfinal against Russia and was eliminated from the tournament.
In 2014 he was a member of the Polish national team during the 2015 Men's European Volleyball Championship qualification, but then did not get a chance to play in the World League. He was not included in the Polish national team's 14-player roster for the World Championship, held in Poland.[17]
After year of break, he came back to national team on May 28, 2015 during first match of intercontinental round of World League against Russia (3–0).[18] He was top scorer of match (15 points). In 2016, Kurek played in Olympic Games Rio.[19]
On September 30, 2018 Poland achieved title of the 2018 World Champion[20]. Poland beat Brazil in the finale 3-0 and defended the title from 2014. Kurek received an individual award for the Most Valuable Player[21].
Personal life
Bartosz Kurek was born in Wałbrzych, but raised in Nysa, Poland. His father, Adam Kurek, was also a volleyball player, winning several caps for Poland. Kurek played basketball in his early youth, but later moved to volleyball. He has a younger brother - Jakub. Kurek and his brother appeared together in a Polish TV advertisement for Zott yogurt Monte. Kurek is engaged to Anna Grejman.[22]
Outside of volleyball
Kurek it advertises as a model for companies Zott Monte and Land Rover.
Sporting achievements
Clubs
CEV Champions League
2009/2010 - with PGE Skra Bełchatów
2011/2012 - with PGE Skra Bełchatów
FIVB Club World Championship
Qatar 2009 - with PGE Skra Bełchatów
Qatar 2010 - with PGE Skra Bełchatów
National championships
- 2008/2009
Polish Cup, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2008/2009
Polish Championship, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2009/2010
Polish Championship, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2010/2011
Polish Cup, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2010/2011
Polish Championship, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2011/2012
Polish Cup, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2011/2012
Polish Championship, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
- 2013/2014
Italian Championship, with Lube Banca Macerata
- 2014/2015
Italian SuperCup, with Lube Banca Macerata
- 2014/2015
Italian Championship, with Lube Banca Macerata
- 2015/2016
Polish Championship, with Asseco Resovia Rzeszów
- 2016/2017
Polish Championship, with PGE Skra Bełchatów
National team
- 2005
CEV U19 European Championship
- 2009
CEV European Championship
- 2011
FIVB World League
- 2011
CEV European Championship
- 2011
FIVB World Cup
- 2012
FIVB World League
- 2015
FIVB World Cup
- 2018
FIVB World Championship
Individual
- 2005 CEV U19 European Championship - Best Spiker
- 2006 The Talent of the Year by Super Volley
- 2009 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner - Most Valuable Player
- 2009 FIVB Club World Championship - Best Scorer
- 2010 Discovery of the Year Gala Siatkarskie Plusy
- 2011 Polish Cup - Best Spiker
- 2011 FIVB World League - Best Scorer
- 2011 CEV European Championship - Best Server
- 2012 Polish Sportspersonality of the Year 2011 - 2nd place
- 2012 CEV Champions League - Best Spiker
- 2012 FIVB World League - Most Valuable Player
- 2012 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner - Most Valuable Player
- 2013 Polish Sportspersonality of the Year 2012 - 6th place
- 2016 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner - Best Opposite Spiker
- 2018 FIVB World Championship - Most Valuable Player
- 2018 FIVB World Championship - Most Valuable Player
- 2018 European Confederation Gala – Male Player of the Year
- 2019 Polish Sportspersonality of the Year 2018 - 1st place
State awards
References
- ^ Kurek odszedł do Dynama - skra.pl - 06-05-2012
- ^ SCUDETTO ALLA LUBE! APPLAUSI ALLA GRANDE SIR! Archived 2014-05-05 at the Wayback Machine - sirsafetyperugia.it - 04-05-2014
- ^ APOTEOSI LUBE IN GARA 4 A PERUGIA: SIAMO CAMPIONI D'ITALIA - lubevolley.it - 04-05-2014
- ^ Bartosz Kurek mistrzem Włoch - plusliga.pl - 04-05-2014
- ^ Bartosz Kurek z Superpucharem Włoch - plusliga.pl - 15-10-2014
- ^ Bartosz Kurek w Asseco Resoviii - plusliga.pl - 04-05-2015
- ^ Bartosz Kurek nie zagra w Japonii. Zawodnik wydał oświadczenie - wp.pl - 02-10-2016
- ^ BARTOSZ KUREK WRACA DO PGE SKRY - skra.pl - 08-10-2016
- ^ "Bartosz Kurek zawodnikiem ONICO Warszawa" (in Polish). ONICO Warszawa. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ 2009 CEV European Championships Results - cev.lu - 03-09-2009
- ^ Reprezentacja siatkarzy odznaczona przez prezydenta - prezydent.pl - 15-09-2009
- ^ 2011 FIVB Volleyball World League Final Report - fivb.org - 10-07-2011
- ^ Bartosz Kurek is the man of the day as Poland strikes bronze at EuroVolley - cev.lu - 18-09-2011
- ^ Poland shoot up World Rankings on back of World Cup silver - fivb.org - 06-12-2011
- ^ Poland beat USA to claim first World League title - fivb.org - 08-07-2012
- ^ Poland wins historical gold at the 2012 World League - fivb.org - 08-07-2012
- ^ MŚ siatkarzy 2014: Stephane Antiga powołał kadrę, Bartosz Kurek nie jedzie na mundial - eurosport.onet.pl - 17-08-2014
- ^ Opening victory for reigning world champions Poland - fivb.org - 28-05-2015
- ^ Yahoo Sports - Bartosz Kurek Poland
- ^ "Poland triumph over Brazil to retain World title for years more years". FIVB. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ "Kurek MVP mistrzostw świata! Nagrody indywidualne dla Kubiaka, Nowakowskiego i Zatorskiego!". Dziennik. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ Bartosz Kurek został w Polsce. Miłość ważniejsza od pieniędzy? - polsatsport.pl - 25-09-2016
- ^ "Odznaczenia dla Mistrzów Świata w Piłce Siatkowej Mężczyzn 2018". prezydent.pl (in Polish). 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1988 births
- Living people
- People from Wałbrzych
- Sportspeople from Lower Silesian Voivodeship
- Polish men's volleyball players
- Olympic volleyball players of Poland
- Volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Polish Champions of men's volleyball
- Italian Champions of men's volleyball
- Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle players
- Skra Bełchatów players
- Resovia Rzeszów players
- Ziraat Bankası volleyball players
- Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Polish expatriates in Russia
- Expatriate volleyball players in Russia
- Polish expatriates in Italy
- Expatriate volleyball players in Italy
- Polish expatriates in Japan
- Expatriate volleyball players in Japan
- AZS Warszawa players