Sochi medalists awarded state honours
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
03.04.2014 15:29
Poland's Winter Olympics 2014 medalists were awarded state distinctions by President Komorowski at a special gala in Warsaw on Thursday.
Gala at the Polish Olympic Centre in Warsaw: photo - PAP / Bartlomiej Zborowski
"The success in Sochi was so huge that surely these distinctions are not equal to what we received in the form of joy, emotion and, sometimes, anxiety. Thank you sincerely for everything associated with this great sporting success," Bronislaw Komorowski said at the ceremony.
PM Tusk (left) President Komorowski (second left) with Polish athletes at Olympic Gala: photo - PAP/ Bartłomiej Zborowski
Polish athletes won six medals at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, including four golds, with Kamil Stoch winning the individual men's tournaments on the large and small hill and Justyna Kowalczyk taking first place in the 10 km classic cross country skiing.
Zbigniew Brodka won gold in the men's 1500 speed skating and Poland’s women’s speed skating team - Katarzyna Bachleda-Curuś, Natalia Czerwonka, Luiza Złotkowska and Katarzyna Woźniak - also won a silver medal in Sochi, with the men’s team - Zbigniew Bródka, Konrad Niedzwiedzki and Jan Szymański - claiming a bronze.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, also in attendance at the gala at the Polish Olympic Centre Warsaw, said that the athletes "are a unique group of people, like oxen, working so hard to give happiness to other people". (pg)
source: PAP