Zbigniew Brodka became the first Olympic speed skating champion from Poland when he clinched the men's 1,500 meters title with a tiny advantage of three thousandths of a second at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Pole Olympic champion Zbigniew Brodka returned to the track after two years as a firefighter and qualified for men's mass start of Beijing Winter Olympics, which will be the last capter of his career.
WARSAW, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Olympic medalist and speed skater Zbigniew Brodka emphasized that the performance at the Winter Olympics in Beijing would be a perfect way for him to say goodbye as the Olympic competition will be the last chapter of his career.
In 2014, Brodka won gold in the men's 1,500m and bronze in the team pursuit at the Sochi Winter Olympics. In October 2019, the 37-year-old decided to suspend his career, instead taking up work as a fireman. After two years Brodka returned to the track to book a ticket to Beijing. The Pole achieved his goal.
"The desire to return to professional sport was still strong. In my job as a firefighter I am full of adrenaline, but I missed sports competitions. The greatest motivating factor, however, was the upcoming Olympics. I really wanted to prove to myself that I'm able to fight for the fourth Olympic start," Brodka claimed to local media on Monday.
Ruslan Zakharov (L) of Russia, Obayashi Masahito (C) of Japan and Zbigniew Brodka of Poland attended the award ceremony after the men's mass start race at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland, Nov. 13, 2021. (Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Xinhua)
The speed skater qualified for the Winter Games on home soil thanks to a podium finish in the World Cup competition in Tomaszow Mazowiecki.
"I got my way and qualified for the Olympics, although not everyone believed it. I'm very happy because the trip to Beijing was my goal. I just came back for this," the athlete explained.
At the Winter Olympics the Pole will perform in the mass race and he is also on the reserve list in the 1,500m competition.
"I'm looking forward to taking part in the mass race, which actually gives me a lot more chances for a high place. In this competition, anything can happen, it's difficult to predict the winner and everyone who is qualified can take a medal," Brodka concluded. ■
