Dzieje sekcji lekkoatletycznej TS Wisła (English)
Z Historia Wisły
The history of the athletics section at TS Wisła
Introduction
The athletics section at Wisła was officially established in 1922. However, this does not mean that members of the club were not involved in this beautiful sport before then. In fact, they had been practicing it almost from the moment the club appeared on the sports map of Poland (Galicia). A distinctive feature of Wisła's football players was that they were sportsmen who engaged in multiple disciplines, not just athletics. This was the case until the second half of the 1940s.
The first documented mention of Wisła athletes' participation in track and field events dates back to 1908! During a derby match with Cracovia, athletic competitions were also held. Wisła was represented by Wilhelm Cepurski in the javelin throw, Władysław Liro, Stanisław Galica, and Gustaw Rogalski in the discus throw. This was reported in Kraków's newspaper Czas on October 11, 1911.
Years 1922 - 1935
The athletics section at Wisła was officially established in 1922. However, Wisła already had athletes much earlier. Not only were all of its footballers also athletes, but there were also athletes from other clubs. The first athletics training sessions were held as early as 1905 in Jordan Park under the guidance of Professor Emil Wyrobek. These groups consisted of students who practiced during the summer under the supervision of older colleagues acting as instructors. These instructors were later members of Wisła, the Academic Sports Association (AZS), and Cracovia. Thus, the athletes of that time were also footballers, and vice versa.
It wasn’t until Wisła built a track on its own grounds in 1922 that its athletes began to stand out. The first notable appearance of Wisła’s athletes occurred on July 23, 1922, at the Kraków Athletic Championships, which included clubs such as Cracovia, Makkabi, AZS, Podgórze, BBSV Bielsko, Czarni Jasło, and Resovia. A few days later, on August 6, Wisła's athletes participated in military athletic competitions in Kraków to mark the visit of the Head of State. Four athletes from Wisła competed and won first place in the 100m, 200m, 1,500m, and 4x400m relay events.
The year 1923 saw a period of inactivity for the section, but activities resumed in 1924 with an inter-club cross-country run held on March 30. The course was 3,400 meters long, running from Wisła’s field to Rudawa, across Błonia, and back to Wisła’s field. Thirty-three athletes from AZS, Cracovia, Sparta, Wawel, and several military units participated. The star of the event was Stanisław Ziffer from Legia Warsaw, who was competing for Wisła for the first time and won the race in 12 minutes and 41 seconds. Wisła athletes Dobrzański and Zapiura took 4th and 8th places, respectively.
On April 27, Ziffer won the 6,400-meter “Kurier Polski” round race in Warsaw with a time of 21 minutes and 37 seconds. On May 24 and 25, the regional championships were held at Wisła’s field. On May 31, Ziffer participated in the Belvedere race in Warsaw (4 km course) and placed 3rd behind Łukaszewicz and Szelestowski from Polonia.
During the qualifying events for the athletic expedition to the 8th Olympiad in Paris, held in Warsaw on June 7, 8, and 9, 1924, Ziffer set a new Polish record in the 3,000-meter cross-country event with a time of 10 minutes and 10.4 seconds. In a 5,000-meter race against Czarni’s Kawa, Ziffer won with a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. Thanks to these achievements, Ziffer was selected to participate in the Paris Olympics.
On July 7, Stanisław Ziffer competed in the 3,000-meter cross-country race, which was introduced for the first time as an Olympic event in Paris. However, he did not match his previous performance from Warsaw, finishing fifth and last with a time of 10 minutes and 38 seconds. In the 5,000-meter race on July 8, 1924, he placed 11th out of 15 competitors, with a time of 16 minutes and 45 seconds.
In the third round of the “Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny” race in Kraków on August 10, 1924, over a distance of 4,240 meters, Ziffer won with a time of 14 minutes, 9 and 4/5 seconds. Wisła's Dobrzański finished in ninth place. On August 29, 1924, a 10 km cross-country race was organized by KOZLA, with only six competitors participating—three from Wisła and the rest from Katowice and Sosnowiec. Ziffer crossed the finish line first, with a time better than his track performance. The second and third places were taken by Wisła’s athletes, Witold Sałek and Jan Dobrzański.
At the Polish Athletics Championships in Warsaw on September 7 and 8, the same trio from Wisła competed in the 10,000-meter race, securing all three top spots. Ziffer took first place with a time of 39 minutes and 01 seconds, Dobrzański came in second, and Sałek third. In the 5,000-meter race, Ziffer placed third. On October 12, in Henryków near Warsaw, a 9 km cross-country race for the Polish championship was held, where Wisła again sent its three long-distance runners. Out of 17 competitors, Ziffer finished second with a time of 34 minutes, 44 and 4/5 seconds, after Szelestowski, who clocked in at 34 minutes, 22 and 4/5 seconds. Sałek finished fourth, and Dobrzański fifth.
The year 1925 was also a busy and successful period for Wisła's athletics, although their results were not as impressive as in the previous year. The Spring Circuit Race of Polonia in Katowice, organized by GOZLA on March 22, drew 202 competitors, with victory going to Szelestowski from Polonia. Sałek finished second with a time of 12 minutes and 15 seconds, and Dobrzański came in sixth. In the Nadwiślański cross-country race organized by the Kraków AZS on April 5, over a distance of 3,100 meters, Sałek took first place with a time of 9 minutes and 52 seconds, with 32 participants competing. On April 13, a 4,500-meter cross-country relay race was held with all Kraków clubs participating, except for Makkabi and Jutrzenka. Cracovia took first place, while Wisła's relay team placed second.
In the subsequent events, familiar names reappeared, such as Sałek, who took second place in the Polonia Katowice race and first in the Nadwiślański race. Ziffer, however, was nearing the end of his career, as indicated by his 19th place in the "Kurier Polski" race, 13th in the “IKC” round race, and 7th in the Belvedere race. Despite this, Ziffer claimed first place and the cup in the "Kujawja" Corporation's race in Cieszyn. The regional championships ended with Wisła taking second place behind Cracovia. Athletes such as Balcer, Chrzanowski, Nowak, and Owsiak emerged, whose names would continue to appear throughout the existence of Wisła's athletics section.
The years 1926 and beyond marked a decline in both the quantity and form of Wisła’s athletes. As the new Olympics approached, the star of Wisła’s athletes began to fade. Ziffer, Sałek, and Dobrzański stepped aside, making way for new talents such as Gorzeński, Scipio, Kowalski, Władysław Kossowski, and others. One standout athlete, Mieczysław Balcer, was primarily a footballer and, due to his constant participation in the first football team, couldn’t fully showcase his athletic abilities. Nevertheless, new talent brought Wisła valuable victories, such as securing points in the regional championships through athletes like Ruczka and Rekucki. Despite this, the 1930 Kraków Championships pushed Wisła down to third place, behind Cracovia and AZS.
It wasn't until 1931 that significant improvement occurred, with Wisła rising to first place in the Kraków regional championships. The other clubs conceded the team championship title to Wisła without a fight, as they had no chance of competing. Wisła also claimed the regional championship title, competing against AZS, Makkabi, and Legia, while Cracovia did not participate due to disqualification. This year marked Mieczysław Balcer's greatest achievement, as he won the Polish decathlon championship in Lwów.
However, Wisła was unable to retain the Kraków regional championship title in competition with Cracovia. In 1932, an athletics match between the two rivals took place, which Cracovia won with 234 points, while Wisła earned 193 points. From this point on, Cracovia took the lead in Kraków athletics. Increasing financial difficulties and declining revenues each year prevented Wisła’s management from spending on recruiting athletes from outside Kraków. As a result, in the following years, a period of stagnation set in.
Revival occurred only in 1935, when the activity of the section was limited exclusively to young, purely Kraków-based talents. Among the new athletes, names like Mostowski, Komornicki, Korosadowicz, Machej, Rawicz, and Saramaya frequently appeared. By relying solely on local talent, the section's management pursued a consistent path. However, given the increasingly demanding performance standards and difficult financial conditions, this approach proved to be very challenging.
In the spring of 1926, the women’s athletics section was established. In a short time, on October 17 of the same year, the team participated in national women’s competitions organized in Kraków by Makkabi. Competitors from Kraków took part, alongside Konopacka and Wojnarowska from Warsaw, and Gędziorowska from Toruń. Wisła’s athlete, "Wiśka," secured third place in the shot put with a throw of 7.38 meters. The top athlete from Wisła achieved numerous victories, breaking old regional records. In the Poland-Austria athletics match held in Kraków (Austria won 61:45), she participated in the 200-meter race, securing third place with a time of 28.01 seconds, breaking the Polish record. Additionally, "Wiśka" competed in the 4x100 meter relay. With her results, she immediately ranked among the best in Poland, particularly in 1927, where she was first in the 200-meter race and standing long jump, and third in the 100-meter race.
In 1928, alongside "Wiśka," other notable athletes included Kirch-Majerówna, Golkówna, Tyrałówna, Miłkowska, Bielecka, Kopeciówna, and Czulakówna. In 1933, the section's activities were suspended due to the lack of new talent, a result of a ban imposed by school authorities. Additionally, there was a general decline in women’s athletics, which was evident not only in the club but nationwide.
