PeSzy: Krzysztof, when and how did you find armwrestling?

Krzysztof Jastrzębski: It started naturally, ever since I was a child, at home. My great-grandfather had a forge in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Grandpa and Dad were professional drivers. I have arm strength flowing in my veins.

The crucial point?

I saw Wojewoda vs Brzenk in Warsaw (Nemiroff World Cup) on TV and Wojewoda made a great impression on me. At the time he was the essence of this sport. I wanted to fight him.

PeSzy: I saw this fight live, I also know how much effort it took for the organizers to put it on TV. As you can see – it was worth it. Armwrestling gained a new athlete in you, though a while later.

Krzysztof Jastrzębski: That's right, it was indeed a while later. It kept haunting me for a long time but supporting a six-person family in Poland is not easy. In the end, there was no time for training until one day I reached my limits. I was exhausted, my left shoulder was dislocated, my right elbow hurt like hell (I was finishing the construction of another detached house). I'd used up all of my physical energy.

That's when I decided it was the right time to start training armwrestling, I called Krzysiek Siwek – the boss of a club in Wroclaw – and I came for a training. That's where I met Pawel Grabas who looked like Harry Potter at the time and weighed, let's say, about 60 kg but still managed to beat me, like, 20 times. After the training I could barely get into the car but there was no way I could switch gears. My arms went limp and all my strength was left at the table. It's a great memory.

PeSzy: How did you prepare for Dieppe?

Krzysztof: I prepared for the World Championships for 3 months in Austria. First of all, it was about maintaining my weight from the European Championships. I usually weigh around 120-123 kg. At the World Championships I weighed 101.9 kg, fitting me into under 105 kg – all thanks to 10 months of dr Kwasniewski's diet (keto). When it comes to training at 5:30 in the morning, it's Ireneusz Mlodzinski's idea. I met him in Austria and he motivated me to train together everyday, at 5:30 when the testosterone levels are the highest in the body. In my case, and I'm already 50, the results are phenomenal – but I think they come from the diet, too. I definitely recommend.

I live and work in Austria – I even had the chance to spar with some guys from the Armwrestling LINZ club – on MAZURENKO tables. But, as usual with Austrians, they protect their secret training techniques with jealousy.

PeSzy: What do your trainings look like?

Krzysztof: I try to train everyday except Sundays because I travel a lot and there are periods when I don't go to the gym for weeks.

My goal for the sport is of course the World Championship but generally speaking, I would like to live to the age of 120, like Moses. I'm not kidding!

The system made us believe that once you're 40, it's all downhill. I don't see it like that. I have abs at 50 that I've never had before in my life. I don't get sore muscles unless I abuse my diet and I feel great overall. It's exactly like the classics said: Mens sana in corpore sano. It's not about boasting. I'm far from it.

PeSzy: What do you like the most in this sport?

Krzysztof: I think the face-to-face rivalry, how you can use your whole strength without harming your opponent (when I was young, I used to train karate and it wasn't the case with that sport), the joy of winning and something that I didn't quite expect in this sport – a sort of respect for the opponent what beat me. It's a wonderful and interesting feeling, I've never felt it with any other sport. After I lose, I want to get to know my rival and befriend him. It's really odd. I also like how we get to integrate with the disabled. Real get-togethers, starting together, cheering each other on, their determination and character that they show at the table. There's something truly epic about it.

PeSzy: Thanks for the interview!

Krzysztof Jastrzębski: Thank you, and see you during the next World Championships!

Now, a few words from the previously mentioned Paweł Grabas:

I've met Krzysztof about 7 or 8 years ago. He came to train and you could tell from the start that he has some great talent within him. For a person who's never armwrestled professionally, he fought on a very good level. He wasn't a spring chicken but he was a big guy. Tall, well over 100 kg, strong. He often joked that the last time he weighed as little as me was during his First Communion. Ever since then he's been training with more or less drive. Privately he's a very serious and interesting person and we respect each other as much as we are friends. What can I say about his current condition... He's been back to his training but is now focused on his overall strength and a healthy lifestyle. In my opinion, Krzysztof lacks a lot in technique, he's not used to the table enough and he lacks strength in basic armwrestling moves so he could start training more towards armwrestling... but he still succeeds... and that's due to his natural strength, overall good physical shape and genes. What does that mean? He has great potential in him and is still very far from his peak in the sport. I believe that with a little effort he can raise his armwrestling level and succeed on an even bigger scale. I will watch him carefully. Moreover, I would like to officially congratulate him on his success at the last Polish Championships, the European Championships and the World Championships, too. The year 2022 was definitely his best in arwmrestling so far.