SECOND SPOT FOR ZMARZLIK IN PRESTIGIOUS POLISH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR VOTE

Four-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik has raced to second place in Przeglad Sportowy’s prestigious Polish Athlete of the Year vote.

Zmarzlik was pipped to first place by tennis icon Iga Swiatek, who retained her French Open title in 2023 and ended a second straight year as world No.1.

The Lublin and Lejonen rider won the Przeglad Sportowy prize, Poland’s equivalent of BBC Sports Personality of the Year, in 2019 – becoming only the second speedway rider after Tomasz Gollob in 1999 to win the public vote.

He has now firmly established himself as one of Poland’s biggest sporting stars after finishing in the top three four times, having also taken second spot to Swiatek last year and claimed third place in 2021. While Zmarzlik is not someone who seeks the spotlight away from the shale, he was pleased to be recognised once again.

He told Przeglad Sportowy: “Every time I come out here, I have a lot of stress, but I also feel happy because I have great respect for this poll. I would like to thank my family, my wife and son, my sponsors. Together we can reach for our dreams.”

Zmarzlik won his fourth Speedway GP world title in five years last season and hopes to become only the fourth rider in the sport’s history to win the championship five times this year.

He could match New Zealand great Ivan Mauger’s record of winning three FIM Speedway World Championships on the bounce, recorded between 1968 and 1970, as he bids to become the first star of the Speedway GP era to achieve the feat.

This could also be the year he claims the all-time record for Speedway GP victories after he tied with Aussie legend Jason Crump on 23 wins when he topped the 2023 DeWalt FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun podium.

Zmarzlik will get the chance to seal victory No.24 when he goes for a third straight FIM Speedway GP of Croatia win at the 2024 season opener in Donji Kraljevec on April 27.