Wednesday, August 28, 2024
7th International Wiesław Maniak Memorial – Szczecin Poland 2024
The International Wiesław Maniak Memorial is a Polish competitive athletics event commemorating the most outstanding legend of Szczecin sprinting, Wiesław Jan Maniak.
Maniak was a Polish athlete who mainly competed in the 100 m sprint. He competed for Poland at the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan where he won the silver medal in the men’s 4 x 100 metre relay with his teammates Andrzej Zieliński, Marian Foik and Marian Dudziak. Olympic medalist (Tokyo’64) and was European Champion.
The competitions take place at the athletics stadium named after Maniak himself and are full of quality competitions and competitors, in which the best athletes from Poland, Europe and various corners of the world compete.
This year the competition was elevated to be included in the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Level Meetings series.
And for Russel a good European finale to the season with top level competitors.
This year’s edition took place immediately after the Olympic Games in Paris (July 26 – August 11) and the competitors would include Polish European champion Przemyslaw Slowikowski and Olympian Igor Bogaczybski. As well as other internationals such as USA great Matthew Boling and more familiar athletes such as GB and NI Tokyo Olympian Marcus Lawler, who Russel had already competed with on the UK circuit this season already.
A tough prospect indeed given the massive disparity in big competition experience and national resources behind these international athletes in comparison to Malaysia’s Russel Taib with no International competitions for Malaysia this season and no national support program supporting him this year, clearly the underdog, but determined to do well regardless against this elite field for Malaysia as usual.
On to the race and once again the elements were a little unfavourable for the athletes running into a headwind of -.1.1, but Polish athlete Igor Bogaczybski took first in 20.81 fresh from his Olympic exploits, Matthew Boling second 20.86 and Marcus Lawler third 21.06.
Russel did well to surprise the stadium’s Polish fans to hold off Przemyslaw Slowikowski and take fourth with 21.28.
Not quite the time hoped for by Russel given the build-up and good race momentum that had been generated for this competition but given consideration to the competitors and headwinds a very decent outing and positives to build on for next season.
Certainly the post-race fans’ attention and many requests for autographs and his bib number and athlete’s pass indicates the “man from Malaysia” had found a great deal of favour amongst the locals!
Thank you Szczecin Poland – hope to see you again next season.