Adam Piotr Kszczot (pronounced ; born 2 September 1989) is a retired Polish

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

, who specialized in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

. His achievements include a gold medal at the 2018 World Indoor Championships as well as silver medals at the 2014 World Indoor Championships,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and 2017 World Championships in addition to multiple medals on European level. He twice competed at the Olympic Games, in 2012 and 2016, narrowly missing the final on both occasions. Kszczot won 13 individual Polish titles (in- and outdoors, including two

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

titles). He is the current Polish national record holder for the indoor 800 metres.

Personal life

Kszczot was born and raised in

Opoczno Opoczno ) is a town in south-central Poland, in eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a long and rich history, and in the past it used to be one of the most importa ...

by his parents, mother Ewa - a former mathematics teacher and father Stanisław Kszczot, a carpenter. He has two sisters, Agata and Ewa. His older brother Jacek died at age 17 as a result of electric shock during agricultural work. He graduated from the Lodz University of Technology in Management. In October 2014 he married Renata (nee Borkowska). In October 2017 his wife gave birth to their son named Ignacy.

Career

Kszczot reached the international level after competing in local and then national events. He won the bronze medal at the 2007 European Junior Championships, finished fourth at the 2008 World Junior Championships and won the 2009 European U23 Championships. He finished fourth at the

2009 European Indoor Championships The 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships was held in Turin, Italy, from Friday, 6 March to Sunday, 8 March 2009. The championships took place at the Oval Lingotto indoor arena

and competed at the 2009 World Championships without reaching the final. Kszczot won the bronze medal at the 2010 World Indoor Championships and the 2010 European Championships, as well as the gold at the 2011 European Indoor Championships. He reached the final at the 2011 World Championships, finishing sixth. His outdoor personal best is 1:43.30 minutes, achieved on 10 September 2011 in

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

. Kszczot broke

Paweł Czapiewski Paweł Czapiewski (born 30 March 1978) is a former Polish middle-distance runner. He was born in Stargard. He came third in the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton in a personal best time of 1:44.63 minutes. Later that month he lowere ...

's ten-year-old Polish indoor record at the 2012

Meeting Pas de Calais The Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais (formerly Meeting Pas de Calais) also called Meeting International de Liévin (''International Meeting of Liévin'') is an annual indoor track and field competition which takes place in February in Liévin ...

. His time of 1:44.57 made him the third fastest indoor runner ever after

Wilson Kipketer Wilson Kosgei Kipketer (born 12 December 1972) is a Danish former middle distance runner. He is the second fastest of all time over 800 meters, setting the world record and breaking his own record two more times all in 1997. He dominated the 8 ...

and

Yuriy Borzakovskiy Yuriy Mikhailovich Borzakovskiy (russian: Юрий Михайлович Борзаковский, , born 12 April 1981) is a Russian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 metres. Early life Borzakovskiy was born at Kratovo, in the Mos ...

. Vazel, Pierre-Jean (2012-02-15). With this result Kszczot went to the 2012 World Indoor Championships as a medal favourite. However, he finished a disappointing fourth. In his Olympic debut in London he placed third in his semifinal round, failing to qualify for the final. He started well the 2013 season by successfully defending his title at the European Indoor Championships, the first man to do so in 42 years. Adam Kszczot at the 2020 Golden Spike in Ostrava

Adam Kszczot at the 2020 Golden Spike in Ostrava

On August 15, 2014 he won the men’s 800m final at the

2014 European Athletics Championships The 2014 European Athletics Championships was held in Zürich, Switzerland, between 12 and 17 August 2014. It was the first time that Switzerland had hosted the European Athletics Championships since 1954. Great Britain headed the medal table, w ...

with a time of 1:44:15 after a blistering last 100m sprint. In 2017, he won the bronze medal in the men's 4 × 800 metres relay at the

2017 IAAF World Relays The 2017 IAAF World Relays is the third edition of the biennial, global track and field relay competition between nations. It was held April 22–23, 2017, in Nassau, Bahamas. The distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athlet ...

held in Nassau, Bahamas. He won the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 2017 World Championships held in London. Adam Kszczot Göteborg 2013

On March 3, 2018 Kszczot claimed his first title of World Indoor Champion in the 800 meters. He controlled the final run, the pace of which was quite slow and won with a large advantage over American Drew Windle and Spanish

Saúl Ordóñez Saúl Ordóñez Gavela (born 10 April 1994) is a Spanish middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres. He won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Indoor Championships. Earlier he won a silver at the 2015 European U23 Championships. He h ...

. He dedicated his gold medal to his 5-month-old son Ignacy. In August, Kszczot added the European outdoor title at the

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of e ...

Achievements

International competitions

Circuit wins

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

, 800 metres events **

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

: London **

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

: Stockholm, Brussels (1000m) **

: Zürich, Brussels **

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

: Brussels **

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

: Roma

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kszczot, Adam 1989 births Living people Polish male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes of Poland Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics European Athletics Championships medalists People from Opoczno Sportspeople from Łódź Voivodeship World Athletics Championships athletes for Poland World Athletics Championships medalists European Athletics Championships winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners Polish Athletics Championships winners 21st-century Polish people