Stanisław Sośnicki

In addition to being one of the best track and field athletes in the country during the early 1920s Stanisław Sośnicki had a distinguished career in the Polish Army. Sośnicki joined the Polish Army in April 1919 as a second lieutenant and reached the rank of captain in 1924. He then graduated from the Academy of Political Sciences in Warszawa in 1926 before studying at the University of Cambridge in England in 1931. For the rest of the 1930s he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before fighting in the September Campaign at the start of World War II. Sośnicki was imprisoned in two German prisoner-of-war camps and continued to serve in the Polish People’s Army until 1946. After his career in the military he worked in the Polish embassy in Ankara until 1948 and then as a director in the wood industry.

Sośnicki was an extremely talented athlete and won 13 Polish titles, setting 13 national records. At the 1920 Polish athletics championships he won gold in the 100 metres, 4 x 100 metres relay, standing high jump, long jump, standing long jump, and the triple jump. The following year he won gold in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and the long jump. He continued adding to his impressive medal haul with gold in the triple jump in 1922, followed by gold in the 4 x 100 metres relay, long jump, and the triple jump in 1923. Sośnicki was scheduled to compete at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics but did not attend the Games due to his participation in the Polish–Soviet War. He did eventually compete at the Olympics when he took part in the 100 metres and the long jump at the 1924 Paris Games. Despite his national success Sośnicki failed to advance from his heat in the 100 metres and finished a disappointing 31st in the long jump.

Personal Bests: 100 – 11.2 (1922); LJ – 6.62 (1924).