Polish sailor Henryk Blaszka took up the sport when he was 11-years-old and competed in the Finn, Cadet, and Flying Dutchman. Blaszka’s career spanned more than four decades, with his first major result coming at the 1974 World Championships, finishing third in the Cadet class. After moving to the Finn he became the Polish junior champion in 1977, before winning the national senior title on five occasions (1979–82, 1986), along with coming second at the 1982 World Championships. In 1988 he competed at the Seoul Olympics but finished a disappointing 20th out of the 33 sailors who participated. Blaszka then continued to compete in the Flying Dutchman, becoming a ten-time Polish champion in the event (1990–92, 1999, 2001, 2003–07). His cousin Ryszard competed in the Finn at the 1976 Montréal Olympics.
Poland