Konopacka won Poland's first Olympic gold in the women's discus at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
Her rise to fame began with a simple love for physical activity and nature but soon turned the track and field all-rounder into a champion.
"When I took up the discus, it turned out that after a few tries I broke the Polish record. Then they told me to start training a bit. And that's how it all began," she would recount late in life, with customary self-deprecation.
After some early successes in international track-and-field competitions, Konopacka's most significant achievement came on July 31, 1928, when she became the first Polish athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, throwing the discus a record distance of 39.62 meters at the Amsterdam Olympics.
This victory marked a milestone for Poland in international sports.
Konopacka's versatility was not confined to the discus; she excelled in various track-and-field events, including relay races, javelin throw, and shot put.
She was also one of Poland's best tennis players.
Born into a noble family linked with the Tatars on February 26, 1900, in Rawa Mazowiecka, Konopacka's physical and cultural talents were deeply ingrained in her heritage.
Beyond her athletic prowess, Konopacka was a prominent figure in the cultural life of interwar Poland.
Her beauty and elegance made her a standout presence, not just on the field but also at social events, as noted by historian Janusz Osica.
Her contributions to culture extended to writing poetry and painting, with her works published in notable literary magazines and her poetry collection Któregoś dnia (Some Day) becoming a fashionable read in the 1920s.
Konopacka's life took a dramatic turn during World War II when she was involved in a successful mission to transport Polish gold reserves to France in September 1939. This mission was crucial to the Polish government-in-exile during the war.
Following France's surrender to Germany, she and her husband moved to the United States. After his death, she remarried, returning to her artistic pursuits until her death in Florida in 1989.
The Polish team participated in the Olympic Games for the first time exactly 100 years ago, in 1924, in Paris.
In 2018, sprinter Irena Szewińska, Poland’s most decorated Olympian, champion long-distance runner Janusz Kusociński, and Konopacka were named "Athletes of the Century."
(rt/gs)
Source: Polish Radio
