On September 24, 2026, a gala organized by the Akcja Zdrowie Association in cooperation with the Active Rehabilitation Foundation FAR was held in Bydgoszcz. The winners were selected by a 17-member Jury. A total of 560 women from across Poland entered the poll. Regional juries selected 55 candidates in five categories (culture and art, sport, social activities, science and business), after which the main Jury selected five winners.
Sonia Turzyniecka from Bolesławiec was among them. For years, she has been one of the most recognizable athletes from Bolesławiec.
“I dedicate my success to the istotne.pl editorial team, the regional and nationwide juries, all people with disabilities, and the residents of all Poland,” says Sonia Turzyniecka. “I would like to thank editor Grażyna Hanaf for all her help, for inspiring me and recognizing my achievements in my sports career. I am proud that my achievements were appreciated by such prominent personalities,” Sonia Turzyniecka adds.
Sonia Turzyniecka is a person who never gives up. After suffering a serious musculoskeletal injury in 1998, she began training, which became not only a form of rehabilitation but also a path to international success. She won gold during a period of homelessness—and at a time when her championship diet consisted of discounted products.
“This extraordinary woman, whom I had the honor of accompanying on the trip to the gala, had to overcome her everyday obstacle after returning to Bolesławiec, following a day of emotions and honors, awards and a beautiful statuette: she had to climb the stairs, clinging to the handrail, because she was given an apartment in a TBS building without an elevator,” Grażyna Hanaf explains . “For now, she has some of the strongest arms in Poland, but the question is: how long will they remain that strong? I was happy to see her happiness—and Ms. Sonia knows how to rejoice like a child—her excitement, and I admired her sporting attitude during the gala. With her speech onstage, she won the hearts of everyone gathered at the event. She dedicated her victory to other women. As a woman, a resident of Bolesławiec and a Lower Silesian, I was immensely proud of her,” the istotne.pl journalist adds.
Despite adversity, Sonia Turzyniecka has achieved almost everything in armwrestling: four European championship titles (2022), three world championship titles (2022), a world championship silver medal (2022), a World Cup title, numerous medals in para-armwrestling, Masters and Grand Masters categories, and multiple Polish championship titles. In 2024, she made her debut in the bench press, winning a World Cup gold medal, and in 2026 she won gold and silver at the GPC Polish Championships. She trains in paraboxing every day at the Gladiator club and, as she says, it is her new passion.
During the gala, Sonia Turzyniecka was showered with awards. In addition to the most important one, the Women with Passion 2026 statuette, she received commendations from MP Iwona Maria Kozłowska, the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship Office, the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivode, ZUS, the President of Akcja Zdrowie, the Chair of the Jury and the President of the National Council of Physiotherapists.
Additionally, TVP, the event’s media patron, will make a short documentary about Sonia Turzyniecka. A television crew will come to Bolesławiec specifically for this purpose.
The Women with Passion poll was held under the honorary patronage of Minister of Labour Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivode Michał Sztybel, ZUS, the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (PFRON), and the Polish Organization of Employers of People with Disabilities (POPON).
LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS
Dear Madam
Sonia TurzynieckaIt is with great joy that I receive the news that you have been honored in the “SPORT” category of the “Women with Passion” poll. This exceptional recognition is proof of your passion, determination and constant development in the field of sport.
Your achievements inspire many people and show that sport can cross boundaries, bring people together and give courage in the pursuit of set goals.
I wish you further success, satisfaction from every achievement and many wonderful moments on your sporting journey.
Yours sincerely
Member of the Sejm
Iwona Maria Kozłowska