Marika Popowicz-Drapała

Marika Popowicz-Drapała (Polish pronunciation: ; born 28 April 1988) is a Polish track and field sprinter. She won bronze medals in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2009 European Under-23 Championships. Popowicz-Drapała earned several major medals as part of Poland's women's relays (mostly 4 x 100 metres relays).

She earned 15 individual Polish national titles.

Personal life Marika Popowicz-Drapała was born 28 April 1988 in Gniezno, Poland. She is married to a former sprinter, Radosław Drapała.

Career 2005 to 2008 Popowicz-Drapała made her first major appearances in 2005, finishing in sixth place in the 200 metres at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics and helping the Polish women's 4×100 metres relay team to a gold medal at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships. She became the Polish junior champion in the 100 metres and 200 m in 2006 and went on to reach the semi-finals of both events at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Beijing. She attended the 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships and formed part of the relay team which won the bronze medal. She was selected as a back-up runner for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, but ultimately did not compete.

2009 Popowicz-Drapała won senior medals for the first time in 2009 at an International Military Sports Council competition: she won the bronze in the 100 m and silver in the 200 m behind Marta Jeschke at the 2009 World Military Track and Field Championship . Representing Poland at the 2009 European Team Championships, she finished fifth overall in the 100 m. She won a relay silver medal with the Polish team at the 2009 Summer Universiade and repeated the feat at the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships (where she also won bronze medals in the 100 and 200 m events). She was selected for the 100 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, but did not start.

2010 At the start of 2010, Popowicz-Drapała took part in the women's 60 metres at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships but was eliminated in the heats stage. She helped promote the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz by taking part in a pre-championship cross country race. She won the bronze medal with the Polish 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, breaking the Polish national record.

Olympic career She was part of Poland's 4 x 100 m relay teams at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the 2016 Games, she also competed in the individual 100 metres.

Statistics

International competitions

Personal bests 50 metres indoor – 6.33+ (Spała 2011) 60 metres indoor – 7.20 (Toruń 2016) 100 metres – 11.28 (Bydgoszcz 2015) 100 metres indoor – 11.91 (Florø 2015) 200 metres – 23.15 (Kaunas 2009) 200 metres indoor – 23.54 (Toruń 2023)

National titles Polish Athletics Championships 100 metres: 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 200 metres: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 4 × 100 m relay: 2019, 2022 Polish Indoor Athletics Championships 60 metres: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2020 200 metres: 2010, 2013