On Saturday, May 13, the third round of the International Bench Press League took place. Making his debut was a resident of Lwówek Śląski and a soldier of the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment in Bolesławiec, Staff Corporal Zbigniew Boczar. Competing against the best bench press athletes in Poland, the artilleryman became the country’s third-best lifter in the up-to-83 kg category. (Thanks to persistent, systematic work and despite many adversities, he also became the 25th-ranked athlete in Poland.)
Zbigniew Boczar:
Achieving success was not easy: he had to fight an injury, cope with a heavy load of official duties, raise his most devoted fans—twins Fabian and Brajan, who suffer from bronchial asthma—and manage without funds to finance training, diet and competitions. Nevertheless, tremendous success was achieved.
The support of those closest to him—his wife, Daria, who endured his mood swings during preparations for the competition, and his mother, Jadwiga Burzyńska (the best nurse in Lwówek County)—could not have ended any other way. The support of friends who selflessly helped him achieve his goal was also highly fruitful, for which he would also like to thank the best fitness instructor, Jolanta Anasiewicz (Squashstacja Bolesławiec); the best bodybuilder from Lwówek, Wojciech Wojciechow; the president of the WRPF Polska federation, Andrzej Kocyła; the coach of Poland’s best club, Tytan Team, Tomasz Andrzejczak; the best diet adviser, Maciej Szoka (Power Gym Gryfów Śląski); and the other women and men from the club. He also thanked the best rehabilitation specialist, Mariusz Machniak, for getting him into a condition that allowed him to fight for bronze.
He adds: “I hope that my sporting achievements, gained in just two years of competing, as well as representing the region and promoting the city of Lwówek Śląski in Poland, will interest the city authorities and local entrepreneurs in establishing cooperation.”