Piatkowsky Maria
Main achievement
Sprinter. He won the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1962 European Athletics Championships
About
Maria Piątkowska was a renowned Polish athlete, born on February 24, 1931, in Goleni, Kingdom of Romania (present-day Republic of Moldova). After World War II, her family moved to Poland, where she developed an exceptional sports career. She graduated from the University of Physical Education in Warsaw and specialized in sprint, jumping, and multi-event disciplines, becoming one of the most complete and talented athletes of her generation. Maria Piątkowska's sports career was marked by numerous participations in top international competitions. She represented Poland at three editions of the Olympic Games – Helsinki 1952, Rome 1960, and Tokyo 1964 – and achieved remarkable results at the European Athletics Championships. Her most significant achievement was winning the 4×100 m relay at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade, where the Polish team set a European record with a time of 44.5 seconds. Throughout her career, she proved to be a versatile athlete, competing successfully in the 80-meter hurdles, long jump, and pentathlon, achieving podium finishes at several editions of the European Championships. On a personal level, Maria Piątkowska was married twice to Polish athletes. Her first marriage was to discus thrower Henryk Chojnacki, and her second was to Edmund Piątkowski, a renowned discus thrower and national record holder. The couple had two sons. Piątkowska received multiple distinctions for her contribution to sports, including the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Gold Medal "For Outstanding Sporting Achievements". She passed away on December 19, 2020, at the age of 89, in tragic circumstances, having contracted COVID-19 while recovering from hip surgery.
