Łukasz Kwiatkowski (29 May 1982 – 25 November 2018) was a Polish professional track cyclist. He represented his nation
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in two Olympic Games (2004 and 2008), and also claimed numerous medals in track cycling at the
UCI World Cup and
European Championships
The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...
since 2002. During his sporting career, Kwiatkowski raced for the ASK Stal Grudziądz pro cycling team before his official retirement in 2010.
Racing career
Kwiatkowski was born in
Grudziądz
Grudziądz ( la, Graudentum, Graudentium, german: Graudenz) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its prov ...
. Considered one of Poland's strongest cyclists, he made headlines on the international scene as an 18-year-old teen, when he claimed the silver medal in the sprint final match against Australia's
Ryan Bayley
Ryan Neville Bayley OAM (born 9 March 1982) is an Australian professional track cyclist and double Olympic gold medallist.
Biography
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Bayley started competitive cycling in 1997 at fifteen years of age. He is ...
at the 2000 UCI Junior Track World Championships in
Fiorenzuola
Fiorenzuola d'Arda (; egl, label= Piacentino, Fiurinsöla, or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy in the province of Piacenza, part of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from ''Florentia'' ("prosperous" in Latin). The "d'Arda" portion r ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
An early success from junior cycling tournaments helped Kwiatkowski develop his form from a pure power sprinter into being one of the most successful Polish cyclists of all time. This showed that he had collected numerous medals in men's
Keirin
– literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gamblin ...
, sprint, and team sprint events at the
European U-23 Championships and
UCI World Cup.
Selected as the official member of the Polish cycling team, Kwiatkowski made his debut at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, where he edged out Germany's top favorite
Jens Fiedler to take the seventh spot in the
men's keirin, but lost the repechage round one match to Barbados'
Barry Forde
Barry Ricardo Forde (born 17 September 1976) is a former Barbadian track cyclist. Forde was banned for two years and two months after testing positive for Testosterone on 28 October 2005. in the
men's sprint. Affiliating with
Damian Zieliński
Damian Zieliński (born 2 December 1981) is a Polish cyclist. He was born in Szczecin. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the U ...
and Rafał Furman in the
men's team sprint, Kwiatkowski rode a split time of 13.360 on the second leg to deliver the Polish trio a ninth-place finish in 45.093, narrowly missing out in the first round match by eleven-hundredths of a second (0.11).
Shortly after his first Olympics, Kwiatkowski started the 2005–2006 season at the European Championships, where he helped the Polish squad score a more satisfactory triumph in the men's team sprint. He also added a silver medal to his seasonal career hardware in the final match against Ukraine's
Andriy Vynokurov at the first stage of the
UCI World Cup series in
Moscow, Russia
Moscow ( , American English, US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia. The city stands on t ...
, making him the most successful male rider of the season by the Polish Cycling Federation.
Three years later, Kwiatkowski qualified for his second Polish squad, as a 25-year-old, in two track cycling events at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
by receiving a berth from the UCI Track World Rankings. In the
men's team sprint, held on the first day of the track program, Kwiatkowski and his teammates
Maciej Bielecki
Maciej Bielecki (born 19 May 1987) is a Polish track cyclist. He was born in Białystok. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and ...
and
Kamil Kuczyński
Kamil Kuczyński (born 23 March 1985) is a Polish cyclist. He was born in Płock. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of C ...
set a thirteenth-place time of 45.266 and an average speed of 59.647 km/h in an opening heat against Japan, but were relegated for swerving out of the lane on the final stretch, handing their rivals a more satisfactory triumph. Two days later, in the
men's sprint, Kwiatkowski could not progress from the early stages after losing out again in the first round to Great Britain's
Jason Kenny
Sir Jason Francis Kenny, (born 23 March 1988) is an English former track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. Kenny is the holder of most Olympic gold medals (7) and medals (9) for a British athlete. His wife, Laura Kenn ...
and the repechage to Malaysia's
Azizulhasni Awang
Dato'
Muhammad Azizulhasni bin Awang (born 5 January 1988) is a Malaysian professional track cyclist. Nicknamed "The Pocket Rocketman" due to his small stature, he is the first and the only Malaysian cyclist to win a medal at the Summer Ol ...
.
Kwiatkowski died at the age of 36 from leukemia.
Career highlights
;2000
* UCI Junior Track World Championships (Sprint),
Fiorenzuola
Fiorenzuola d'Arda (; egl, label= Piacentino, Fiurinsöla, or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy in the province of Piacenza, part of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from ''Florentia'' ("prosperous" in Latin). The "d'Arda" portion r ...
(ITA)
;2002
* European Championships (Sprint),
Büttgen
Kaarst (; li, Kaasj) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Rhein-Kreis Neuss in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is 5 km west of Neuss and 12 km east of Mönchengladbach.
Division of the town
Kaarst consists of 5 subdivisions
* ...
(GER)
* European Championships (Team sprint),
Büttgen
Kaarst (; li, Kaasj) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Rhein-Kreis Neuss in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is 5 km west of Neuss and 12 km east of Mönchengladbach.
Division of the town
Kaarst consists of 5 subdivisions
* ...
(GER)
* Stage 2,
UCI World Cup (Sprint),
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(RUS)
* European Championships (Keirin),
Büttgen
Kaarst (; li, Kaasj) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Rhein-Kreis Neuss in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is 5 km west of Neuss and 12 km east of Mönchengladbach.
Division of the town
Kaarst consists of 5 subdivisions
* ...
(GER)
* Stage 1,
UCI World Cup (Team sprint),
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
(MEX)
;2003
* European Championships (Team sprint),
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(RUS)
* Stage 1,
UCI World Cup (Team sprint),
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(RUS)
;2004
* European Championships (Team sprint),
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
(ESP)
* Stage 4,
UCI World Cup (Team sprint),
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
(AUS)
* European Championships (Sprint),
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
(ESP)
* 7th
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
(
Keirin
– literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gamblin ...
),
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
(GRE)
* 9th
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
(
Team sprint
The team sprint (also sometimes known as the Olympic sprint) is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event – it is a three-rider team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome.
The current men's ...
with Rafał Furman and
Damian Zieliński
Damian Zieliński (born 2 December 1981) is a Polish cyclist. He was born in Szczecin. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the U ...
),
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
(GRE)
;2005
* European Championships (Team sprint with
Kamil Kuczyński
Kamil Kuczyński (born 23 March 1985) is a Polish cyclist. He was born in Płock. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of C ...
and
Damian Zieliński
Damian Zieliński (born 2 December 1981) is a Polish cyclist. He was born in Szczecin. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the U ...
),
Fiorenzuola
Fiorenzuola d'Arda (; egl, label= Piacentino, Fiurinsöla, or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy in the province of Piacenza, part of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from ''Florentia'' ("prosperous" in Latin). The "d'Arda" portion r ...
(ITA)
* Stage 3,
UCI World Cup (Sprint),
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
(GBR)
* Stage 3,
UCI World Cup (Team sprint),
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
(GBR)
* Stage 1,
UCI World Cup (Keirin),
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(RUS)
;2006
* Stage 3,
UCI World Cup (Team sprint),
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
(USA)
;2008
* 13th
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
(
Team sprint
The team sprint (also sometimes known as the Olympic sprint) is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event – it is a three-rider team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome.
The current men's ...
with
Maciej Bielecki
Maciej Bielecki (born 19 May 1987) is a Polish track cyclist. He was born in Białystok. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and ...
and
Kamil Kuczyński
Kamil Kuczyński (born 23 March 1985) is a Polish cyclist. He was born in Płock. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of C ...
),
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
(CHN)
* 17th
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
(
Sprint
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
*Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automotive and motorcycle
*Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
*Chevrolet Sprint, ...
),
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
(CHN)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
NBC Olympics Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwiatkowski, Lukasz
1982 births
2018 deaths
Deaths from leukemia
Polish male cyclists
Polish track cyclists
Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic cyclists of Poland
People from Grudziądz
Sportspeople from Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
Deaths from cancer in Poland