Students of the University of Szczecin as Candidates for the Olympic or Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

Balancing sports practice at the highest world level with university education is a difficult – but feasible – task. An example of such skilful balance are some graduates of the Higher Pedagogical School in Szczecin, University of Szczecin, majoring in Physical Education, who graduated from the university with a successfully defended Master's thesis while being active athletes. The aim of this paper is: to present current students of the Faculty of Physical Culture and Health Promotion of the University of Szczecin (WKFiPZ US) and a graduate of the Institute of Physical Culture of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Szczecin (IKF WNP US) as potential candidates of various disciplines for the 32nd Summer Olympic or 16th Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020; to show their sports achievements in previous Olympic and Paralympic Games; to present the indicators and qualification rules that the analysed athletes must follow to represent Poland in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The study involved a group of seven athletes, current students of the University of Szczecin, Faculty of Physical Culture and Health Promotion: Patryk Dobek, Michał Gadowski, Marcin Lewandowski, Piotr Lisek, Katarzyna Mądrowska, Paulina Woźniak, Krystian Zalewski and one graduate of the Institute of Physical Culture of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Szczecin, Anna Harkowska. All of them are members of the national Polish team in their respective sport disciplines. They compete in their respective sports disciplines in which they strive for qualifying standards which guarantee a start in the 32nd Summer Olympic or the 16th Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Piotr Lisek has the best chance of winning a medal in Tokyo in pole vault, as well as the following disabled athletes: Anna Harkowska in cycling, Michał Gadowski in rowing, and Paulina Woźniak in swimming. Marcin Lewandowski – a titled European medallist in the 800 m race will probably compete in his fourth Summer Olympics Tokyo 2020 (he participated in 2008, 2012, and 2016) and this time will fight for the best place amongst the finalist in the 1,500 m race.