Cenek - the legend of Polish canoeing

December 17, 2022
time. 13.00
Pieniny Museum Józef Szalay
noble
Exhibition hall in a studio warehouse
st. Lemkowska 37

The exhibition is open until September 3, 2023.

[...] I spent every free moment by the water [...]. As a little boy in the summer, I used to sit astride a piece of trunk, holding a piece of "spray" in my hand instead of an oar, and that's how I was rafting down the Dunajec River to Szczawnica. In winter, however, I floated on pieces of ice floes. The border guards shot up to scare me, and I swam on anyway. These were my first kayaks […]

Stefan Kapłaniak "Cenek" (born April 10, 1933 in Szczawnica, died August 8, 2021 in Chicago), a legend of Polish canoeing, bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in Rome 1960, three-time Olympian (1956, 1960, 1964), representative of the clubs: "Sokolicy Krościenko (1949-1953), CWKS Bydgoszcz (1954-1957), YK Nowa Huta (1958), "Pienin" Szczawnica (1959-1961) and "Spójnia" Warszawa (1962-1965), a student of Dr. Artur Werner (club), student of Stanisław Zantara (team).

The most versatile and the first Polish canoeist with the longest experience, who advanced to the world's top (1950s), multiple Polish champion, world champion (1958) and European champion (1959). He won the Olympic bronze medal (1960) in the sediment with Władysław Zieliński (double 1000 m).

He was a 30-time Polish champion in 1953 -1968: K-1 500 m (1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964), K-2 500 m (1962, 1965), K-1 1,000 m (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961), K-2 1,000 m (1963), K-1 10,000 m (1953), K-2 10,000 m (1962, 1963) and in the competitions: K-4 500 m , K-4 1000 m, K-4 10000 m and K-1 4×500 m; Polish champion in whitewater kayaking (1953) - K-1 slalom; two-time world champion - 1958 - Praga (K-1 500 m and K-2 500 m, with W. Zieliński); European Champion 1959 - Duisburg (K-1 500 m); three-time ME medalist: silver - 1961 - Poznań (K-2 500 m, with W. Zieliński), bronze - 1957 - Ghent (K-1 500 m), 1959 - Duisburg (K-1 4×500 m, partners: K Koszieras, R. Skwarski, W. Zieliński); five-time finalist of the World Championships - 1958 - Prague: IV (K-1 4×500 m), IV (K-2 1000 m), 1963 - Jajce: IV (K-2 500 m), V (K-1 4×500 m) ), 1966 - Berlin: VIII (K-2 500 m); five-time ME finalist – 1957 – Ghent: IV (K-1 4×500 m), 1963 Jajce: IV (K-2 500 m), V (K-1 4×500 m), 1965 – Snagov: V (K- 2,500 m), V (K-1 4×500 m).

Distinguished Master of Sport, awarded, among others, Gold Cross of Merit and twice gold and once silver Medal for Outstanding Sports Achievements. In 1973, he covered a 120-kilometer route from Nowy Sącz to Nowy Targ, sailing upstream on the Dunajec, ten hours a day, without putting down the oars.