The winner of the French Open and US Open Grand Slams overtook the three-time speedway world champion and winner of the 2019 plebiscite, Bartosz Zmarzlik, and the three-time winner of the plebiscite (2015, 2020, 2021), Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski.
The award was received on Iga’s behalf by her father Tomasz Świątek. The tennis player is currently in the antipodes, where she is preparing for the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament. However, she recorded a short statement for the guests of the Sports Champions Gala in Warsaw, in which – as she noted – without knowing the results of the plebiscite yet, she thanked the fans for their votes and jokingly promised that the “bastard with a paddle” will fight for trophies this year as well.
Just off the podium was volleyball player Kamil Semeniuk, vice-world champion and winner of the Champions League together with Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle. Fifth place was taken by ski jumper Dawid Kubacki, winner of Poland’s only medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing (bronze), current leader of the general classification of the World Cup.
Several awards were given. Tomasz Wiktorowski, who works with Iga Świątek, was named Coach of the Year, and the volleyball team, which won the title of vice-world champions in Katowice, was named Team of the Year.
The Superchampion statuettes were awarded to the presidents of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, and the Polish Volleyball Association, Sebastian Świderski. As emphasized by the Minister of Sport and Tourism, Kamil Bortniczuk, who presented them with the award – “for courage”, because they were among the first in the world of sport to call for a boycott of Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine.
Football referee Szymon Marciniak and his colleagues were awarded the Super Achievement of the Year award for their exemplary management of the final match of the World Cup in Qatar.
In the category of Sport Without Barriers, former pole vaulter Monika Pyrek and her foundation for children, youth, parents and guardians, encouraging them to play sports, were recognized. The second statuette in this category was received by Paralympian Szymon Sowiński, who practices shooting.
The best Polish athletes of 2022 in the plebiscite of "Przegląd Sportowy" and Polsat: 1. Iga Świątek (tennis) 2. Bartosz Zmarzlik (speedway) 3. Robert Lewandowski (football) 4. Kamil Semeniuk (volleyball) 5. Dawid Kubacki (ski jumping) 6. Mateusz Ponitka (basketball) 7. Adrian Meronk (golf) 8. Katarzyna Wasick (swimming) 9. Paweł Fajdek (athletics) 10. Fabian Barański, Mirosław Ziętarski
