Marek Kania

Club / Team

FLiSW Legia Warszawa: Poland

Hobbies	Watching movies. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)
Other sports	He has represented Poland in roller speed skating, competing at four editions of the world championships between 2018 and 2023. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Nov 2023; Facebook page, 20 Nov 2021)
Famous relatives	His siblings Mateusz and Maria have both represented Poland in roller speed skating. (sport.tvp.pl, 11 Feb 2022, 14 Nov 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 10 Nov 2022)

Name of coach

Bartosz Pisarek [club], POL; Artur Was [national], POL

Other information

DUAL SKATING DISCIPLINES He has also represented Poland in roller speed skating. "Certainly in summer it will be roller skates and in winter ice skates. As long as I am able to combine the two and get good results, which it looks like I can, I would not want to only choose one. There are athletes who have been successful both in roller skating and speed skating. Last year [2020] I wanted to quit ice skating and there was a plan to focus only on inline skating. I went to the Polish speed skating championships. It was supposed to be my last competition in the sport, I only wanted to get some points for the club. However, I had some good results and [coach] Konrad Niedzwiedzki noticed them. He offered me a place on a training camp with the sprint team. I took advantage of this and trained with them, did my best and was invited to the national speed skating team." (sport.onet.pl, 26 Oct 2021) BALANCING SPORT AND STUDY Ahead of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, he took a break from his studies in automation and robotics at the Warsaw University of Technology in Poland. He had previously taken a study break to train in inline skating in Italy, but was forced to return home due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I have been studying at the university for four years [speaking in 2021], but only one year full-time. After I finished my first year, I took study leave and went to Italy with my siblings to train in inline skating. When I resumed my second year, all my classes were conducted remotely, which in a way made it easier for me to combine studying and training, because I could be at sports camps and complete everything at the same time. Combining studying at WUT with high-level training is not easy and you often have to deal with things individually. Fortunately, most of the professors take kindly to my situation." (pw.edu.pl, 09 Nov 2021; sport.onet.pl, 26 Oct 2021)

www.facebook.com/Marek-Kania-101772192339299

Injuries	He missed the 2023 European Championships in Hamar, Norway, due to a muscle injury, but recovered to win bronze in the 500m at the 2023 Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, NY, United States of America, later the same month. (polsatsport.pl, 19 Jan 2023; legia.net, 04 Jan 2023)
Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)

Reason for choosing this sport

He followed his friends into speed skating.

Most influential person in career	Coach Bartosz Pisarek. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)
Hero / Idol	Belgian speed skater Bart Swings, US speed skater Joey Mantia, Dutch speed skater Michel Mulder. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the Olympic Winter Games, and to win a world title. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He took up the sport at age nine at school.

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Hard work is better than talent." (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)