Andrzej Wroński
Poland's heavyweight Olympic champion, eight years apart
- Born
- October 8, 1965, Kartuzy, Poland
- Nationality
Poland- Height
- 192 cm (6′4″)
- Weight
- 100 kg, 97 kg
- Active
- 1988–2000
- Status
- Retired · age 61
The medals
2 Olympic golds; 1994 world title
The story
ndrzej Wroński, born in Kartuzy in Pomerania, won Olympic gold in the 100 kg class at Seoul in 1988, finished fourth in Barcelona four years later, and came back to win a second Olympic title in Atlanta in 1996. In between he became world champion in Tampere in 1994, and he also took world silver in 1999 and bronze in 1993 and 1997, plus European titles in 1989, 1992 and 1994. Poland awarded him three successive grades of the Order of Polonia Restituta, in 1988, 1995 and 1996, and he carried the national flag at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Games, his fourth Olympics. In 2011 he tried mixed martial arts once, losing to Paweł Nastula by first-round stoppage.
- Olympic champion, 100 kg (1988, 1996)
- World champion, 100 kg (1994)
- European champion (1989, 1992, 1994)
- Order of Polonia Restituta: Knight's Cross (1988), Officer's Cross (1995), Commander's Cross (1996)
- Poland's flag bearer at the Sydney 2000 opening ceremony
Defining matches
- 1988Olympic gold Seoul (100 kg)
- 1992Fourth place Barcelona Olympics
- 1994World title Tampere
- 1996Olympic gold Atlanta (100 kg)
- 2011LOSSvs Paweł Nastula (MMA, TKO round 1)
Bounce back from a bad tournament: Wroński finished fourth at the 1992 Olympics and won gold in 1996. After a loss, rebuild one position at a time, for example your underhook defence against body locks, rather than changing your whole game.
