Katarzyna Bachleda-Curuś

Katarzyna Bachleda-Curuś, born on January first, nineteen eighty, is a distinguished Polish speed skater hailing from Sanok and currently residing in Zakopane. Renowned for her versatility, she excels in allround championships, showcasing remarkable performance across various distances, although she often does not rank among the top competitors in single distance events.

Throughout her illustrious career, Katarzyna has established herself as one of Poland's premier skaters, amassing an impressive total of fifteen national titles. Her breakthrough year came in two thousand five, where she achieved significant milestones, finishing twelfth at the European Allround Championships and fourteenth at the World Allround Championships.

Katarzyna's Olympic journey began with her participation in the two thousand six Winter Olympics, where she delivered commendable performances, securing tenth place in the three thousand meters, eighth in the one thousand meters, eleventh in the one thousand five hundred meters, and sixteenth in the five thousand meters. The following year, she returned to Turin for the two thousand seven Winter Universiade, where she clinched the gold medal in the one thousand five hundred meters.

Her Olympic accolades continued to grow, as she won a bronze medal in the team pursuit at the two thousand ten Winter Olympics. In the two thousand fourteen Winter Olympics, she competed in three events, facing challenges that led to her disqualification in the three thousand meters, while finishing sixth in the one thousand five hundred meters and earning a silver medal in the team pursuit.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to sports, Katarzyna was honored with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Lech Kaczyński in two thousand ten, solidifying her legacy as a remarkable athlete in Polish history.