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| GRUCHALA Sylwia |
| NOC |
Poland
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| Gender | Women |
| Born |
06 Nov 1981
in Gdynia, POL
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| Height | 1.72 m |
| Weight | 65 kg |
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Further Personal Information |
| Marital status |
* unknown * |
| Family |
Daughter Julia |
| Residence |
Gdansk, POL |
| Occupation |
Athlete |
| Languages |
English, Polish |
| Higher education |
Physical Education - Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport : Poland |
Sport Specific Information |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
She took up the sport at primary school in 1992. |
| Why this sport? |
A coach at her primary school thought she had an athletic physique and suggested that she become a fencer. She resisted at first, but as she improved she began enjoying the sport more. |
| Club / Team |
Sietom AZS AWFiS Gdansk: Poland |
| Handedness |
Right |
| Footedness |
Ambidextrous |
General Interest |
| Nicknames |
Grucha (NOC, 04 May 2004) |
| Hero / Idol |
Italian fencer Valentina Vezzali. (prostozboku.pl, 09 Jan 2016) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Nothing is impossible." (sylwiagruchala.pl, 08 Feb 2012) |
| Awards and honours |
In 2004 she was awarded the Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland. (sylwiagruchala.pl, 08 Feb 2012)
She was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit in 2000. (sylwiagruchala.pl, 08 Feb 2012) |
| Other information |
THE FLOW
She spoke about her feelings as she steps on the piste to compete. "When I step onto the board I look for a very hard-to-define feeling - the flow. When I manage to reach it during matches, I can foresee the moves of my opponent and sense her intentions, I know what she's going to do before she actually makes her move. It's a sort of sixth sense. It feels like everything is in slow motion." (Red Bulletin, 09 Jun 2010)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
She appeared on the Polish version of the reality television show 'Dancing With the Stars'. She later confessed to regretting the decision. "Looking back, I think maybe it wasn't such a good idea. I'm actually a little ashamed about doing it, even though I learned a lot. In sport, if you work for something you have tangible results - maybe a medal. In show business your fate is in someone else's hands." (Red Bulletin, 09 Jun 2010)
MOTHERHOOD BREAK
At the beginning of 2013 she took a break from her fencing career after becoming pregnant. She returned to competition at the beginning of 2015. (wyborcza.pl, 16 Feb 2015) |
| Olympic Games |
| 2012 |
5 |
Team Foil |
London, England |
| 2008 |
7 |
Team Foil |
Beijing, China |
| 2004 |
3 |
Individual Foil |
Athens, Greece |
| 2000 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Sydney, Australia |
| World Championships |
| 2011 |
4 |
Team Foil |
Catania, Italy |
| 2010 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Paris, France |
| 2010 |
7 |
Individual Foil |
Paris, France |
| 2007 |
1 |
Team Foil |
St. Petersburg, Russia |
| 2006 |
4 |
Team Foil |
Turin, Italy |
| 2005 |
8 |
Team Foil |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2004 |
3 |
Team Foil |
New York, NY, United States |
| 2003 |
1 |
Team Foil |
Havana, Cuba |
| 2003 |
2 |
Individual Foil |
Havana, Cuba |
| 2002 |
7 |
Individual Foil |
Lisbon, Portugal |
| 1999 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Seoul, South Korea |
| 1998 |
3 |
Team Foil |
La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland |
| European Championships |
| 2010 |
4 |
Team Foil |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2008 |
4 |
Team Foil |
Kiev, Ukraine |
| 2008 |
8 |
Individual Foil |
Kiev, Ukraine |
| 2007 |
7 |
Individual Foil |
Ghent, Belgium |
| 2006 |
3 |
Team Foil |
Izmir, Turkey |
| 2005 |
1 |
Individual Foil |
Zalaegerszeg, Hungary |
| 2002 |
1 |
Individual Foil |
Moscow, Russia |
| 2002 |
1 |
Team Foil |
Moscow, Russia |
| 1997 |
8 |
Individual Foil |
Gdansk, Poland |
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