Wojtek Czyz

Wojtek Czyz (born 30 July 1980) is a German para badminton player representing New Zealand and former para athletics competitor from the Polish part of Silesia.

In 2001, he was an aspiring professional football player and had just signed terms with SC Fortuna Köln. He ran for a loose ball, when the opposing goalkeeper rammed his knee, causing multiple fractures and compartment syndrome. According to Czyz, the injury was gravely underestimated due to professional failure. Due to delays in treatment, his leg had to be amputated. However, Czyz rebounded and established himself as one of the most successful German athletes in the T/F42 class for above-knee amputees.

Career

Athletics success Eleven months after his amputation, at the German Championships in 2002, Czyz broke the national record for F42 long jump and won the T42 100m event.

He won triple gold medals at the 2004 Paralympics. He won the 100 m and the 200 m dash the long jump for leg amputees, setting World Records in the latter two. In the European Championship of 2005, he repeated his triple crown, winning each discipline again. At the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships he again won triple gold medals. He has broken his own world mark several times. He beat his 2008 Paralympics record twice at the 2009 IWAS World Games, but wind assistance invalidated both jumps.

Para-badminton Czyz moved to New Zealand in 2019 and took up para-badminton two years later. In May 2024, Czyz was named as New Zealand's first-ever badminton representative for the Summer Paralympics.

Personal life , Czyz was a sport student in Cologne. His personal motto is "Don't think of what you were, but of what you are and of what you aspire to be" ("Denk nicht an das was du warst, sondern an das, was du bist und zu sein dich sehnst"). After his sports career, Czyz sailed around the world with his wife Elena Brambilla to help amputees to get prosthetics for free and teach them how to walk with the project sailing4handicaps. After the project, Czyz and Brambilla set up a mānuka honey company called Manuka Royale in New Zealand where they dedicate their passion for nature.

Czyz now lives in the Hamilton settlement of Eureka with his wife and son.

Para-badminton statistics

Oceania Championships Men's singles SL3 Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2023 Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Perth, Australia Corrie Robinson 9–21, 8–21 Silver Silver

Men's doubles SL3–SL4 Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 2023 Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre,Perth, Australia Corrie Robinson Jerome Bunge Laho Maiauka 21–3, 21–4 Gold Gold Kenneth Adlawan Lachlan Boulton 21–9, 21–13 Oliver Linton Danny Ten 21–6, 21–6

BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (2 runners-up) The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022.

Men's singles SL3 Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result 2023 Uganda Para-Badminton International Level 3 Chandra Prakash 19–21, 15–21 Runner-up

Men's doubles SL3–SL4 Year Tournament LevelPartner Opponent Score Result 2023 Uganda Para-Badminton International Level 3 Abhijeet Sakhuja Chandra Prakash Naveen Sivakumar 21–14, 15–21, 17–21 Runner-up