During her lengthy career Polish judoka Beáta Maksymow won multiple national, European, and World titles. From 1984 to 2000 Maksymow won no fewer than 24 Polish titles across three different weight categories. She won a plethora of medals at the European Championships, including gold in 1986 (+72 kg), 1991 (+72 kg), and 1997 (open). At the World Championships she won five medals between 1989 and 1999, with gold in 1993 (open) and again in 1999 (+78 kg). Maksymow competed at three Olympic Games where she finished joint-fifth in Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996). Her final Olympic appearance came at the 2000 Sydney Games where she was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Following her sports career she worked as an educator in a local prison. Sadly Maksymow was forced to quit work due to a spinal injury from four crushed vertebrae, which severally limited her mobility.
Poland