Teodor Kocerka (6 August 1927 – 25 September 1999) was a Polish

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who competed in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

, those of 1956, and those of 1960.https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ko/teodor-kocerka-1.html profile He was born in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

in the mid-north of Poland and died in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Olympic events competed

In 1952 he won the bronze medal in single sculling. Four years later he finished fourth in the same event. At the 1960 Games he won his second bronze in the single sculls. In the same years as the two bronzes he was pre-selected flagbearer for the Polish Olympic squad.

Major competition wins

He took gold at single sculling at the 1955 European championships. That same year he won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

('Diamonds') at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

, by a length and a half over Sid Rand.http://www.rowinghistory.net/HRR%20US/hrr_1946-2000.htm Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races 1946–2003 He won the next year's event by four lengths, over TA Fox of London RC. His last such final was in 1960, losing by half a length to

Stuart Mackenzie Stuart Mackenzie (5 April 1936 - 20 October 2020) was an Australian rower. He was an Australian champion and Olympic medalist, who also competed for Great Britain at the 1962 World Championships. Club and state rowing Mackenzie was educated at ...

of Henley's highly selective

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior to ...

, not breaking the latter rower's six-year success. By that time Kocerka had changed chosen club from AZS Bydgoszcz to AZS

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kocerka, Teodor 1927 births 1999 deaths Polish male rowers Olympic rowers of Poland Rowers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Poland Sportspeople from Bydgoszcz Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics European Rowing Championships medalists