The best athlete of Poland 2021 in the 87th poll of “Przeglad Sportowy” was footballer Robert Lewandowski. Second place went to three-time Olympic hammer throw champion Anita Włodarczyk.
Lewandowski was honored in this poll for the third time. He was once again the German champion together with Bayern Munich in 2021 and at the same time the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 41 goals, thus breaking Gerd Mueller’s famous record. He won the Golden Boot, the award for the most successful footballer in European leagues. He was named the second global player of the past year in the Ballon d’Or poll of France Football magazine.
Third place went to motorcycle speedway Vice World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik.
Just behind the podium was the Olympic 50 km race walker Champion Dawid Tomala, whose success was one of the biggest sensations of the Tokyo Games.
The editorial board of “Przeglad Sportowy” awarded several other prizes. The Coach of the Year was Aleksander Matusiński, creator of the success of the women’s 4×400 m relay team, which in Tokyo reached for the Olympic silver, and its members together with their colleagues triumphed in the 4×400 m mixed relay.
The statue of the so-called Superchampion was awarded to the titled discus thrower, two-time Olympic Vice-Champion (2008 and 2016) Piotr Małachowski, who officially ended his sports career this year.
In the category of Sports Without Barriers the Paralympic champion Róża Kozakowska, an athlete specializing in throwing competitions (club throw), was awarded.
Voting took place in two stages. In the first, the top ten were selected and announced at the beginning of Saturday’s gala. During it, it was still possible to vote via SMS for the allotted time.
Ten best Polish athletes of 2021 in the poll of “Przeglad Sportowy” and Polsat:
1. Robert Lewandowski (soccer)
2. Anita Włodarczyk (athletics)
3. Bartosz Zmarzlik (speedway)
4. Dawid Tomala (athletics)
5. Wojciech Nowicki (athletics)
6. Maria Andrejczyk (athletics)
7. Natalia Kaczmarek, Justyna Święty-Ersetic, Iga Baumgart-Witan, Małgorzata Hołub-Kowalik,
Kajetan Duszyński, Dariusz Kowaluk, Karol Zalewski (athletics)
8. Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska, Marta Wieliczko, Maria Sajdak, Katarzyna Zillmann (rowing)
9. Karolina Naja, Anna Puławska (kayaking)
10. Taduesz Michalik (wrestling)
Honorable mentions:
Team of the Year – ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle
Coach of the Year – Aleksander Matusiński
Sport Without Barriers – Róża Kozakowska
Superchampion – Piotr Małachowski
Always with sport – Totalizator Sportowy
Event of the Year – European Team Championships in Athletics (Śląski Stadium)
Sport and business – Robert Kubica and PKN Orlen