Michal Kotkowski

Started: He took up the sport in 2015 in Poznan, Poland. (Athlete, 16 Jul 2017) Reason: "I have always liked sport. First, it was a part of my rehabilitation, but later it became my biggest passion. My parents used to train amateur marathon runners and they took me and my brother to junior races. So I have been running since I was a child. I love competition and adrenaline. I did swimming training first but, once I started running, I thought why not join a running club. I was then noticed by coach Andrzej Wrobel. Initially I tried to combine swimming and running training, but eventually I decided to focus on running." (Porozmawiajmy O Sporcie [Let's Talk About Sport] YouTube channel, 18 Feb 2021; Piotr Kotkowski YouTube channel, 25 Sep 2017) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (START Poznan Facebook page, 09 Jun 2023) Additional Info: SWIMMING TO ATHLETICS At age one his parents began taking him to the pool to learn how to swim as part of his rehabilitation. He went on to compete in Para swimming at national level in Poland before switching to Para athletics in high school. "I did swimming for 16 years. I won a medal at the national championships, but it was not enough for me. I felt a hunger and I was looking for something that would provide me with more excitement and options. My parents used to compete in marathon running, so as a child I would participate in children's events while accompanying my parents. In high school I started to train in cross-country running and my results improved very quickly. I met coach Andrzej Wrobel and we began our partnership. First, we thought that I would be a good middle-distance runner, but later we found out that I'm better at shorter distances." (MrMichalPol YouTube channel, 23 Aug 2018)