Józef Noji (8 September 1909 – 15 February 1943) was a Polish long-distance runner. Noji was one of the best long-distance runners of the Second Polish Republic. At the 1936 Olympics, he finished fifth in the 5000 meter and 14th in the 10000 m events. He also placed fifth over 5000 m at the 1938 European Championships. Noji was a multiple champion of Poland in the 5000, 10000 and

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

. In 1936 he won the English title in the 6-mile run, and two years later he won the same title in the 3-mile run. He was twice elected to the List of 10 Best Athletes of Poland; in 1936 he was second, in 1937 – tenth. Noji did not fight in the

Polish September Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

, but as early as late 1939 or early 1940, he joined the resistance movement. He was arrested by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

on 18 September 1940. After one year of imprisonment at Warsaw's notorious

Pawiak Pawiak () was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Congress Poland. During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia. During the World War II German occupation ...

prison, he was transported to Auschwitz. Noji was murdered on 15 February 1943, allegedly for trying to

smuggle Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

a letter. According to witnesses, he was killed by one of the SS guards (either Palitsch, Schopp or Stiwitz). Noji was posthumously awarded the Cross of Valor. There is a street Nojego in Auschwitz named for him, and a municipal stadium Nojiego Cross near Pęckowo.

References

* Ryszard Wryk, Sport olimpijski w Polsce 1919–1939, Poznań 2006 * Andrzej Jucewicz, Wlodzimierz Stepinski "Chwala Olimpijczykom", Warszaw 1968 wyd sport i turystyka {{DEFAULTSORT:Noji, Jozef 1909 births 1943 deaths People from Czarnków-Trzcianka County Polish people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Polish male long-distance runners Olympic athletes of Poland Polish resistance members of World War II Resistance members who died in Nazi concentration camps Polish civilians killed in World War II Sportspeople from Greater Poland Voivodeship Legia Warsaw athletes Polish people executed in Nazi concentration camps Members of the Polish Gymnastic Society "Sokół"

References

Further reading