The competition took place on 28 February in Zabierzów near Kraków. The fight for the championship title was contested between Jakub Hankiewicz (BLKS BoLwater) and Bartosz Czerwiński (Krakowski Klub Kajakowy). Jakub, a sixteen-year-old student of I LO, was the best in the qualifiers, but in the final he narrowly lost to Bartosz, winning the title of Polish runner-up. Andrzej Doniec, representing KKG Retendo, took third place.
Among the women, Izabela Fidzińska (Krakowski Klub Kajakowy) proved the best, while Tomasz Czaplicki (Karkonoski Klub Kajakowy) won the senior category. The oldest participant in the competition, Robert Hankiewicz (46), took 10th place in the senior category, finishing behind only Poland’s leading freestyle paddlers. The remaining BoLwater competitors finished in the following positions:
- Paweł Śliwa – 15th place
- Rafał Stempski – 18th place
- Artur Łągiewka – 22nd place
- Krzysztof Śliwa – 24th place
- Jarek Smorągiewicz – 27th place
Thanks to the excellent performances of all the competitors, the BoLwater club team took third place and won the bronze medal in the team classification. BoLwater was beaten only by the large Kraków kayak clubs KKG Retendo and AKTK Bystrze.
Kayak freestyle is an exceptionally spectacular sport. The competitors’ level of preparation is increasing every year. The discipline is gaining popularity in Poland, as demonstrated by the huge turnout at this year’s competition. The Bolesławiec-Lwówek Śląski Club “BoLwater” brings together people from throughout the region, including Bolesławiec, Lwówek Śląski, Żary and Wrocław.
(BoLwater/ii information)