Otylia Jędrzejczak

NOTHING VENTURE, NOTHING HAVE
Competitors are on the starting post. They get ready for starting a 200 metre race. Women jump into water. The representative of Poland is on the third race track and her rival – Australian - on the seventh one. They swim butterfly. This is already half of the race. Swimmers have a brisk pace. Now, the first is the representative of Australia, Petria Thomas, but Otylia Jędrzejczak overtakes her. The Polish woman sets the pace. She swims like a dolphin. Otylia is the winner. She looks at the scoreboard, she has got the best time in this race. “Otylia is the winner !” the supporters shout.

IT’S THE FIRST STEP THAT IS TROUBLESOME
Otylia Jędrzejczak was born in Ruda Śląska on 13th December 1983. She is Polish. When she was six, her parents enrolled her to a swimming lesson, because she had small curvature of a spine. She went to the swimming pool in Pałac Młodzieży in Katowice. “I learned swimming quickly. At the beginning it was insignificant, but later I drew in it and I completed next group of initiation” she said. Otylia trained fencing and dancing, but she gave up with the two. At the beginning she ran away or hid in changing rooms, when she went with her father to training. Otylia was afraid of deep water.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
When Otylia was eight, she took part in the competition in Germany and won her first cup. The substantial swimming started in Szkoła Mistrzostwa Sportowego in Cracow, when she was in secondary school. Sixteen-year-old Otylia earned two gold medals in European Championships in Moscow for Juniors. One year later, in European Championship in Stambuł she had got third position and two years later in Helsinki Otylia earned gold and silver medals. In 2000 in the Olympics Games in Sydney she was in the national team and she took part in race on 100 metres butterfly. Otylia had got fifth place. “I felt, that I disappointed everybody, but for me it was a lot” she said. Otylia has got a lot of other successes in Berlin, Moscow, Fukuoka, Antwerpia… She earned a few gold and silver medals when she swam butterfly.

NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS
4th August 2002 is the most important date in her life. In Berlin in a 200 metre race Otylia broke a world record – 2:05,81. She bettered Australian Susan O’Neil’s record. In Barcelona she had the first and second places and in Madrid she won gold and bronze medals.
In August 2004 Otylia took part in the Olympic Games in Athens. During one hour she swam in two races – on 100 metres - butterfly and 200 metres -free style. She earned two silver medals. Race on 200 metres butterfly was her crown distance. The Polish kept their fingers crossed for her and watched it with bated breath on television. 50 metres before the finishing line Otylia overtook her rival – Thomas. She was the winner and had got the gold medal. Otylia said, that she would auction this medal and money would transfer for sick children.
Otylia is one of the best Polish sportswomen. She has got 13 Polish records in swimming.

FAINT HEART NEVER WON A FAIR LADY
The faith is the most important for Otylia. Love, understanding and confidence are secrets of Jędzejczak’s house. She loves Śląsk’s dumplings and the dishes that are made by her mother. Otylia is modest, mentally strong and patient. She is a person of character.
Otylia is head over heels in love. She and her fianc – Maciek Drzewiński - are planning the wedding, which will be in two years, when Otylia will finish a master degree. She does very well at university.
Otylia is a late riser. “Every day I get up at 5:20 a.m., I have a training and my sleep is very short. So, whenever I can, I make up an arrears.” she said. She cannot imagine her life without swimming. While Otylia swims, she sing, revises her homework or tells jokes. Her free time Otylia makes walking with her dog – Labrador ATENA. She likes listening to music and watching the films. She has taken the driving licence test lately. Otylia has driven six thousands kilometres so far. She is a good driver of promise. Otylia is very ambitions in every sphere of life.