Defending champion Natalia Bukowiecka is heading to the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham to compete in the 400 metres and relay events. The competition takes place from August 10 to 16.
Bukowiecka, previously known by her maiden name Kaczmarek, won gold in Rome two years ago. She added an individual 400 metres bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, following a gold and silver in relays at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Coach Marek Rożej said that Bukowiecka is healthy and her form is rising. He noted that their long term training plan already targets the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but defending her European title remains a key goal.
Rożej explained that Bukowiecka took a lighter load last season to allow her mind and body to reset. He said that after relentless progress following the pandemic, a break was necessary to preserve her desire for high level training leading into the next Olympic cycle.
Preparation and Race Form
Bukowiecka won the Polish Championships two weeks ago with a season best time of 50.02 seconds, which ranks fifth in Europe this year. Rożej said recent training sessions indicate her physical condition is better than her race times suggest.
Cool and rainy conditions are expected in Birmingham, which Rożej noted will slow race times and make finishing position the primary goal. He expressed confidence even if good weather requires competing against Henriette Jaeger of Norway, who ran a European leading 49.15 seconds three weeks ago.
Bukowiecka holds a career best of 48.90 seconds set two years ago before the Paris Olympics. At last year's World Championships in Tokyo, she finished fourth with a time of 49.27 seconds.
Competition Schedule in Birmingham
Bukowiecka will open her competition on August 10 in the mixed 4x400 metres relay. Because the mixed relay schedule does not overlap with the individual 400 metres, Rożej confirmed she is scheduled to run on the opening day.
She will have rest days on August 11 and 12 after being exempted from the individual 400 metres heats on August 12. She will enter the individual competition directly in the semi-finals on August 13.
If Bukowiecka reaches the individual 400 metres final on August 15, she will skip the women's 4x400 metres relay heats on August 14. She plans to join her teammates for the relay final on August 16 if the team qualifies.
Championship Format and Training Group
Rożej recalled the controversial format at the World Indoor Championships in Torun in March, where Bukowiecka won her final against Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands but took overall silver after Lurdes Gloria Manuel of the Czech Republic ran faster in a separate second final. He said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe acknowledged the format was not entirely successful and confirmed it was a one-time experiment.
Rożej's training group includes Tokyo mixed relay Olympic champion Kajetan Duszyński, who joined after the Paris Games. He also trains men's relay runners Remigiusz Zazula and Marcin Karolewski, while Daniel Sołtysiak missed the championships due to an early season-ending injury.
The coach also works with 4x100 metres sprinter Jagoda Mierzyńska and Bukowiecka's younger sister, Alicja Kaczmarek. Kaczmarek, born in 2002, finished seventh in the 400 metres hurdles at the Polish Championships as she continues her recovery toward peak performance.
Rożej previously coached Jakub Krzewina and worked for eight years with Rafał Omelko, both members of the Polish men's 4x400 metres relay team that broke the world indoor record in Birmingham in 2018. Rożej stated that Bukowiecka's individual Olympic bronze in Paris remains his proudest coaching achievement due to the global depth of competition in the 400 metres.
