- Piotr Markiewicz
Piotr Markiewicz (born
September 23 ,1973 inSejny ,Podlaskie ) is a retired Polish flatwater canoer, winner of the individual kayak (K1) 500m bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.Arguably the most naturally gifted Polish kajak paddler of his generation, known for his devastating sprint finish, Markiewicz became national champion for the first time in 1993. Initially he represented his country in the four-man (K4) kajak, winning silver medals in the K4 1000m at the 1993 and 1994 world championships, as well as a bronze medal in 1995.
By temperament Markieicz was better suited to the individual K1 events and in 1995 he became double world champion (K1 200m and K1 500m) in
Duisburg , Germany.As reigning world champion he went to the
Atlanta Olympics as favourite for the K1 500m title, but never seemed comfortable. He only qualified for a final after a controversial semi-final re-run and in the end had to settle for the bronze medal. He also competed in the K4 1000m, placing fourth.After the Olympics he won one more K4 medal in 1999, this time over 200m, before retiring in 2001 after a car accident.
Markiewicz was a member of the
Sparta Augustów club. He is 184cm (6'0") tall and raced at 84kg (185 lbs).External links
* [http://www.pzkaj.pl/historia/markiewicz.html Poish Canoe Federation profile and interview (in Polish)]
* [http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2630/piotrmarkiewicz2fp8.jpgPhoto 1]
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