Tomasz Majewski

Tomasz Majewski
Majewski in 2013
Personal information
NicknameThe Silent Giant
NationalityPolish
Born (1981-08-30) 30 August 1981 (age 43)
Nasielsk, Poland
EducationPolitical science
Alma materStefan Wyszyński University
Height2.04 m (6 ft 8 in)
Weight{142 kg
Websitetomasz-majewski.pl
Sport
CountryPoland
SportTrack and field
EventShot put
ClubAZS AWF Warszawa
Turned pro1999-
Coached byHenryk Olszewski
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals Gold in 2008  Gold in 2012
World finals Silver in 2009
Personal best(s)21.95 in outdoor (NR)
21.72 in indoor (NR)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Poland
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 0 0
World Championships 0 1 0
World Indoor Championships 0 0 3
European Championships 1 0 1
European Indoor Championships 1 0 0
Continental Cup 0 0 0
Summer Universiade 1 0 0
Total 5 1 4
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Shot put
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Shot put
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2009 Berlin Shot put
World Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Valencia Shot put
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Istanbul Shot put
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Barcelona Shot put
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Zürich Shot put
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Torino Shot put
European Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Leiria Shot put
Gold medal – first place 2010 Bergen Shot put
Silver medal – second place 2011 Stockholm Shot put
Silver medal – second place 2013 Gateshead Shot put
Silver medal – second place 2014 Braunschweig Shot put
Silver medal – second place 2015 Cheboksary Shot put
European Cup Winter Throwing
Gold medal – first place 2006 Tel Aviv Shot put
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2005 Izmir Shot Put
Jeux de la Francophonie
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nice Shot put

Tomasz Majewski (born 30 August 1981) is a Polish shot putter and a double Olympic gold medalist (2008 Beijing, 2012 London). He is the third shot putter to successfully defend the Olympic title, first European to do so, and the first since Parry O'Brien in 1956. He also won the silver medal at the 2009 World Athletics Championships and gold medal at the 2010 European Athletics Championships.

Career

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Majewski stands at 204 cm (6' 81⁄2") tall and weighs 140 kg (300 lb).

During the Olympic final in Beijing on 15 August 2008, he threw 21.51 meters for the gold medal, Poland's first Olympic medal in shot put since 1972 when the late Władysław Komar took the gold.[1] Majewski was also the first Pole to win gold at the 2008 Olympics.

On 25 July 2009 in Barcelona he threw a personal best of 21.64 m and few days later in DN Galan in Stockholm, Sweden he improved upon this with a throw of 21.95 m, a new Polish record.[2]

At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships he threw a personal best and Polish indoor record of 21.20 m. However, the level of competition was so high that this was only enough for fifth place behind a Canadian record-breaking Dylan Armstrong. It was the first time in championships history that five men had gone beyond the 21 m mark.[3]

In the outdoor season, Majewski competed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and won the shot put silver medal. His 21-metre throw was beaten by a single centimetre as Andrei Mikhnevich took the title. He had shoulder surgery in the latter half of the year. Focusing on the 2011 season, he said that the strong form of his opponents was more of an inspiration than an obstacle: "Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa [both] went over 22 metres last year, the good performances of my rivals doesn't make me angry or worried, instead it acts as the best sort of motivation to get up to their level".[4]

At the 2011 European Team Championships he was the silver medallist behind David Storl and while his young German rival went on to win at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Majewski managed only ninth place with a best throw of 20.18 m. At the start of 2012 he broke his own Polish indoor record at the BW-Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe with a winning mark of 21.27 m.[5] In London 2012 he won the gold medal with a mark of 21.89 m and he became the first male shot-put thrower to defend his Olympic title since Parry O'Brien achieved that in Melbourne 1956.

Hobbies

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His hobbies include basketball and playing video games.[6]

National honours

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For his sport achievements, he received:
Knight's Cross Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (5th Class) in 2008.[7]
Officer's Cross Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (4th Class) in 2009.[8]

Personal bests

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  • Outdoor – 21.95 m (2009)
  • Indoor – 21.72 m (2012)

His best attempt was in Sweden DN Galan (21.65 m, 21.95 m, 21.44 m, x, x, 21.83 m).

Achievements

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Majewski took gold in Turin in 2009
Putting at the 2010 Bislett Games
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  Poland
2003 European U23 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 4th 19.92 m
Universiade Daegu, South Korea 5th 19.90 m
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 4th 20.83 m
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 18th (q) 19.55 m
2005 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 10th (q) 19.57 m
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 7th 20.23 m
Universiade İzmir, Turkey 1st 20.60 m
2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 6th 20.07 m
European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 6th 19.85 m
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 7th 20.13 m
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 4th 20.87 m
2008 World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 3rd 20.93 m
Olympic Games Beijing, China 1st 21.51 m
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 20.88 m
2009 European Indoor Championships Turin, Italy 1st 21.02 m
European Team Championships Leiria, Portugal 1st 20.81 m
World Championships Berlin, Germany 2nd 21.91 m
World Athletics Final Thessaloniki, Greece 2nd 21.21 m
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar 4th 21.20 m (iNR)
European Championships Barcelona, Spain 1st[9] 21.00 m
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 8th 20.18 m
2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 3rd 21.72 m (iNR)
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 1st 21.89 m
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 6th 20.98 m
Jeux de la Francophonie Nice, France 1st 20.18 m
2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland 4th 21.04 m
European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 3rd 20.83 m
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 6th 20.82 m
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6th 20.72 m

References

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  1. ^ "A Polish 'pirate' steals Shot Put booty in Beijing". IAAF. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  2. ^ Nesi, Lorenzo (30 July 2009). "Majewski launches 21.95m Shot Put national record and world lead in Stockholm – IAAF World Athletics Tour". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  3. ^ Landells, Steve (12 March 2010). "EVENT REPORT – MEN's Shot Put Final". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Majewski ready to rumble after shoulder surgery". European Athletics. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  5. ^ Gordon, Ed (13 February 2012). "Three world leads as middle distances steal the spotlight in Karlsruhe". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Tomasz Majewski". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Prezydent RP odznaczył olimpijczyków". 13 October 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Lista odznaczonych medalistów". President of Poland. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  9. ^ (13 June 2013), at Championskips was 2nd, but Andriei Michniewicz was stripped of his gold medal in 2013, after failure of anti-drug test in the 2005, according to prosecution Retrieved 26 April 2018.
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