Ireneusz Kluczek

Ireneusz Kluczek first took up sport whilst at school, where he became a decent basketball player. Kluczek then competed at a track and field competition at the Warmia stadium in northern Poland, running barefoot as he had no sports shoes. Despite this obvious handicap, and to everyone’s surprise, he won the 100 metres, outsprinting other athletes who had been training for a long time. By 1959 he made his first appearance for the Polish national team at an international athletics meet, eventually going on to represent them 17 times.

Kluczek won three medals in the 400 metres at the Polish championships, with silver in both 1961 and 1962, and bronze in 1960. In 1960 he was also named as an alternate for Poland in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the Roma Olympics, but he did not run. Four years later he was part of the quartet that twice improved the national record in the event, this time earning him a start at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. At the Games, Poland finished second in their heat to advance to the final, where they placed sixth. For his performances Kluczek was a three-time winner of the Gazeta Olsztyńska Voivodeship’s Best Athlete poll (1960–61, 1964).

Personal Best: 400 – 46.8 (1962).