Katarzyna Klys helps to stimulate the group process with success

Polish judoka Katarzyna Klys experiences her best year in her career. The 28-year mother stunned with seven World level medals so far this year. Klys is in the top 10 athletes with most medals in the Tour. The developments in Polish judo are going well. A group process is getting the best out of the team which is a mix of young and old.

The oldest of the bunch…. well old, with all respect… is Katarzyna Klys. Frankly speaking an average Olympian who participated twice in 2008 and 2012 but didn’t survive the first round. However all of a sudden, she made it to the medal zones more frequently and this year her presence on the stage is quite common, even at the World Championships in Chelyabinsk where she won bronze, a huge boost for Polish judo and the women in the team. A good reason to speak with mother Klys.

Your year started well with a comeback. What influence does it have to be a mother?

Klys: "Haha, If you weigh 90kg for 6 months  and then you start under  70kg, you have strong legs and body!, No joke, of course. My good return is a result of the heavy and well-planned work which we have done together with my coach and husband (Arthur Klys). Of course it is also important to have a good cooperation with the coach and the girls from the National team. I think these are the main reasons for my successful return. My son Bronek really motivates me to work, because I really disliked to leave him. Therefore, when I'm going to training I'm doing it per 200 percent, because otherwise I wasted my time, which I could spend with my son."

Klys: “Certainly, when you train on one tatami with older colleagues who win medals at the biggest tournaments in the world, then your motivation and belief in the success grows. This accelerates the effects of training. We have ambitious young players who are hungry for success .”100%: In Montpellier Agata Ozdoba won bronze, you won bronze in Chelyabinsk. Do you think these performances gave a boost to the team and the younger generation?

After your performance Anna Borowski won the European Junior title, Pacut was second and bronze at the Worlds, Podolak started to win medals in the seniors…. What is going on?

Katarzyna Klys: “This year we had a lot of training camps where cadets, juniors and seniors trained together. We have done a lot of work. Youth and experience of older athletes - this is good mix. The young players are pushing, the older give an example to a professional approach, and all this is bringing us results. For this we have a really nice atmosphere on the national camps, which strongly favors the development and achieving good results.”