Polish Championships were the qualifiers for European Championships.
I'm coming back to the recent 22nd Polish Championships and interviews with athletes who took the first place on the podium. Today – Bartek Bednarski whose armwrestling career has lasted for many years already. This year, Bartek celebrated a jubilee of a kind – he earned his 10th Polish Champion title. In seniors, 86kg, left arm – a silver among 21 competitors. The winner was Grzegorz Nowotarski. With his right arm – gold!
PeSzy: Bartek, how long have you been starting? It's a weird question, I know that it's been long, but today (interview after the decoration ceremony in Jaworzno) you have special reasons for celebration.
Bartłomiej Bednarski: Since 2016, I have managed to get 9 medals at Polish Championships and Polish Cups, including 3 silvers and 6 bronzes.
I have been training since I was 15, I started competing in Polish Championships in 2006 where I got two silver medals. I felt dissatisfied but it motivated me to train further. While starting in competitions I managed to perform quite well at a few international events, I placed 4th at World Championships in Bulgaria and 5th at World Championships on Russia. My biggest success so far was placing 3rd at Professionals' World Cup in 63kg.
When it comes to national results, as I've already bragged before, I got my tenth Polish Champion title in Jaworzno, and I can't count my silvers and bronzes anymore.
PeSzy: What helped you win this year's Polish Championships?
Bartek: There were a few factors. In January I weighed 103 kg so I had to go on a diet that wasn't really tasty and was hard to prepare but it allowed me to lose some weight while remaining strong and energized for training. I was supported by a physiotherapist who helped me with some issues with my arms. I definitely didn't have enough sparring matches before the competition but I'm not sure if it helped me regenerate or if I would have been even stronger if I sparred as much as I had in the past.
PeSzy: The 86 kg category was very strong...
Bartek: My category was probably the biggest, there were 21 of us in total. My victory with the right arm was not luck, I really just felt stronger than the other competitors. When it comes to my mental preparation, I knew that I'm so well-prepared with my right arm that anything other than gold would be a loss for me. Especially since it was supposed to be my 10th national champion title, on top of that – won in my hometown.
PeSzy: What did you think of your rivals?
Bartek: I considered Grzesiek Nowotarski my biggest opponent, I didn't have trouble winning over him with my right arm but he showed what he's capable of with the left arm on the next day. My club friend Smalcerz lives in Cracow like me so we sometimes spar in our city, I knew that he's a strong guy but I expected to win. The only competitor I wasn't sure of was Marek Monachowicz. I'd never dueled with him before but I knew he could win over really strong guys, I got to fight him in my first match and I managed to win quite smoothly.
PeSzy: Tell me about your training.
Bartek: My training is mostly full-body workouts and sparring matches, then about 3 months before competitions I get to typically armwrestling-oriented training.
PeSzy: How did you celebrate your victory?
Bartek: I celebrated it modestly with a fast-food visit because I had to get back to Cracow by car and wake up at 6 for work the next day. I have to admit, though, that this sort of calm celebration is not common practice for me.
PeSzy: You've qualified for the national team for European Championships, will you start in Rumia?
Bartek: I'm not starting in European and World Championships because I had to work very hard for the Polish Championships and I have to rest now. My son was born in November and trying to balance work, training and a toddler is really draining me out.
PeSzy: What do you do besides armwrestling?
Bartek: Armwrestling is my passion. I've always read a lot and travelled but in my current situation it's getting harder and harder to do these.
PeSzy: Who do you want to thank for the result and successful preparations?
Bartek: I wish to thank my friends from Tytan Club and Wiking Nisko, paradoxically because even though I live in Cracow now, I train and spar with the Vikings more often than my friends in Jaworzno whom I wish I could visit more often. I also want to thank my work colleagues who were very enthusiastic about my success.
PeSzy: Thank you for the interview and congratulations on the gold!
Bartek: All the best to my opponents and fans.