Zuzanna Mazurek (born May 15, 1991, in Świdnik) is a Polish swimmer, who specialized in backstroke events.[1] She represented her nation Poland, as a 17-year-old, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has claimed multiple Polish records in both 100 and 200 m backstroke, which were eventually broken by Alicja Tchorz in the succeeding decade. Mazurek also swam as a member of UKP Fala Kraśnik, under the tutelage of her coach Sławomir Pliszká.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Zuzanna Mazurek | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 May 1991 Świdnik, Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | UKP Fala Kraśnik | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Slawomir Pliszka | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mazurek made her swimming history at the 2007 European Junior Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, claiming the bronze medal in the 200 m backstroke over her teammate Iwona Lefanowicz by 0.29 of a second with a time of 2:16.36.[2] By the following year, she won a gold medal in the same discipline at the 2008 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, smashing a meet record in 2:12.56.[3][4]
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Mazurek was selected to the Polish Olympic team in the pool, competing in a backstroke double. Four months before the Games, she threw down a scorching time of 2:12.65 (200 m backstroke) to shave 1.78 seconds off the national record (2:14.43) previously set by Aleksandra Miciul in 2000 and clear the insurmountable FINA A-cut (2:12.73) by 0.08 of a second at the Polish Championships in Ostrowiec.[5] In the 100 m backstroke, Mazurek pulled away from the field to crush the Polish record in 1:02.77 for a victory over Guatemala's Gisela Morales in heat two by a 0.15-second margin, but finished farther from the semifinal field in thirty-sixth overall.[6][7] In the 200 m backstroke, Mazurek could not produce a similar effort from the initial half of the backstroke double, as she lost in a sprint challenge to Ireland's Melanie Nocher for the top spot in heat two, but managed to finish with a new national record in 2:12.46. Mazurek missed the semifinals by nearly two seconds, as she placed twenty-first overall in the prelims.[8]
References edit
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Zuzanna Mazurek". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ Rusticus, Oene (19 July 2007). "Daniel Gyurta, Emese Kovacs Provide Spark at European Junior Championships". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ "World Youth Championships: Assorted Countries Hear Anthems on Third Night". Swimming World Magazine. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ "Zuzanna Mazurek złotą medalistką mistrzostw świata w pływaniu" [Zuzanna Mazurek: Gold medalist at the World Swimming Championships] (in Polish). Polish Radio Lublin. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ "Polish Championships: Zuzanna Mazurek Crushes National Record in 200 Back". Swimming World Magazine. 3 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ "Swimming: Women's 100m Backstroke Heat 2". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ "Zuzanna Mazurek odpadła na 100 metrów grzbietem" [Zuzanna Mazurek was eliminated in the 100 metre back] (in Polish). Wiadomości. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ "Swimming: Women's 200m Backstroke Heat 2". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
External links edit
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