Natalia Kaczmarek: An Olympic bronze medal for Polish 400m sensation

Amazing performance

Polish 400m runner Natalia Kaczmarek performed exceptionally at the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning a bronze medal for Poland in an extremely close race.

Losing to an Olympic record

Kaczmarek's third-place finish is all the more admirable considering the winner, Marileidy Paulino, from the Dominican Republic, took gold in an Olympic record time. Kaczmarek finished less than a second behind Paulino, with Salwa Eid Naser taking silver, per BBC Sport.

Semifinal win

Kaczmarek showed her good form in the semi-finals, winning hers without having to expend too much energy.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

One of the best in the heats

Her time of 49.98 was one of the best performances in the heat stage of the 400m, but is some way off her best time of 48.90, recorded just prior to the Games on July 20, 2024.

She was hunting gold

The Pole was hoping for a gold medal in Paris but came up just short. Still, her performances so far this year were amongst the best in the world, so let's take a look at the lead-up to her famous bronze medal!

A Polish superstar

Born in Drezdenko in January 1998, Kaczmarek has become one of the most famous Polish athletes on the international stage.

Success after success

Not only are her athletic results outstanding, but they're also incredibly consistent. Since 2020 she has been on the podium at all the most important competitions.

Everything started in Japan

Kaczmarek's leap in quality began at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.

Olympic gold and silver

The Polish athlete left Japan with Olympic gold in the mixed 4x400 and silver in the women's 4x400.

Getting better all the time

Since then, not a single year has passed without the athlete adding another medal to her track record.

A relay specialist

In 2021, she finished third in the women's 4x400 relay at the European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Building on team success

A year later, she again won the bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, also in the women's 4×400 meter relay, as covered by World Athletics.

And in the individual events

Also in 2022, at the European Championships in Munich, Kaczmarek won two silver medals: in the women's 400m and the 4x400 m relay.

Recent achievements

In 2023, at the European Games in Chorzów in Poland, Kaczmarek again took silver but this time in the mixed disciplines 400 m and 4x400 m.

In demand as a brand ambassador

Kaczmarek's sporting accomplishments, coupled with her athletic physique, has seen her become the face of several high-profile brands.

Athletic focus

The Polish star has contracts with companies such as New Balance, Olimp Sport Nutrition and the Aorlen Group.

Excellent performance

Despite not winning a second Olympic gold, Kaczmarek still performed exceptionally, needing a record-breaking win to beat her!

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!