At the European Championships, Jan Mikołajczak was champion in 1930 and silver medalist in 1929, both in the coxless pairs, and in 1931 won silver in the coxless fours, always with his partner Henryk Budziński. Born in that part of western Poland which belonged to Germany until World War I, Mikołajczak studied civil engineering and was deported during World War II by the Germans to build fortifications in Smolensk. With the advance of the Red Army, he was captured by the Russians and sent to a labor camp near Leningrad. After his release in 1946 he worked on the reconstruction of several Polish cities. Mikołajczak also practiced various other sports and remained connected to rowing as a coach and official.
Poland