The Polish Sports Personality of the Year contest has just celebrated its 100th anniversary. At the jubilee Przegląd Sportowy Onet Champion Gala in Warsaw this prestigious title went to a female slalom canoe wonder Klaudia Zwolińska. Robert Lewandowski took 7th place, but he also collected the Champion of the Century title. Since the Barca striker was busy beating Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final in Saudi Arabia this special award was handed out to his wife Anna instead.

 At the jubilee Przegląd Sportowy Onet Champion Gala in Warsaw this prestigious title went to a female slalom canoe wonder Klaudia Zwolińska. Robert Lewandowski took 7th place, but he also collected the Champion of the Century title. Since the Barca striker was busy beating Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España final in Saudi Arabia this special award was handed out to his wife Anna instead.

Przegląd Sportowy (Sports Review) is the oldest and most prestigious Polish sport daily. It began producing and circulating printed content to sports fans around Poland in 1921. 5 years later editor in chief Kazimierz Wierzynski had an idea to put together a vote for the best Polish Sports Personality of the Year. „The first ballots were printed in the actual paper, filled out, cut out and mailed to the headquarters in Warsaw. First champion was a multi-talented Wacław Kuchar, who was a captain of the Polish national soccer team, member of the Polish hockey team, a track and field and speed skating national champion." - explains Pawel Wolosik, an active editor in chief. 

Throughout the years many Polish football stars - including Champions League winners: Zbigniew Boniek (Juventus 1985), Józef Młynarczyk (Porto 1987), Jerzy Dudek (Liverpool 2005) and a 1974 World Cup Golden Boot leader Grzegorz Lato (7 goals) were recognized in the contest, which with each passing season grew in popularity and prestige. In 1956 the announcement for the first time took place at a grand, Oscars-like gala, which quickly became the hottest ticket in the country. The final top 10 were unveiled at a special venue and received their trophies on stage with many distinguished guests in attendance. This was followed by a gourmet dining and a dance party with top notch live music performances. „Each year the festivities lasted all the way until… a tasty portion of scrambled eggs was served at 6 in the morning. Making it till that moment was and still is a great and respected achievement for gala participants.” - says Wolosik. 

Last weekend Przeglad Sportowy celebrated the 100th anniversary of this glorious and special event. The gala - held at the Grand Theatre / National Opera House in Warsaw - was nationally televised and gathered the biggest audience ever. Among 1400 guests were Olympic and World Champions and legendary Polish football personas: former national team coaches Henryk Apostel, Andrzej Strejlau and Jerzy Engel as well as players: Radosław Majdan, Tomasz Frankowski or ex-Dortmund star Jakub Błaszczykowski. The award ceremony was emceed by Mariusz Czerkawski, who spent 12 seasons in the NHL with Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The audience was also addressed remotely by the President of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry. „Happy New Year! What a wonderful way to begin this Olympic year 2026 by celebrating a century of the Polish Sports Personality of the Year award. For a hundred years this award has honored Polish athletes, whose passion and excellence has created unforgettable moments, moments that have made sporting history and that have engraved themselves in our collective memory. 

With your achievements on the field of play you - the Polish athletes - have built a legacy that continues to inspire the next generation with the joy of sport and with its values. In just a few weeks you will be writing the new chapter of this proud story in the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. We cannot wait to see you there and add to Poland's impressive medal hold. Poland is a highly valued and much respected member of our olympic community, a nation with deep, sporting traditions and a true olympic spirit. As you celebrate a century of sporting excellence may your ambitions continue to reach new heights for the next 100 years and far beyond. Enjoy this wonderful celebration and I hope you'll have enough energy to make it all the way to the scrambled eggs!” - said a Zimbabwean politician, sports administrator, and former competitive swimmer.

Coventry's speech was a prelude to the much anticipated unveiling of the top 10 of this year's poll. That list included: a former F1 star Robert Kubica (best in Le Mans 2025), a Cuban-born volleyball genius Wilfredo Leon and a 6-time speedway world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik. The surprising winner was a slalom canoeist Klaudia Zwolińska, who brought 3 medals - 2 golds and a bronze - from the World Championship in Australia. In the voting a kayak virtuoso gathered almost half a million points: almost 100,000 more than a 2025 Wimbledon’s champion and tennis superstar Iga Świątek. 

Robert Lewandowski, who won the contest in 2015, 2020 and 2021 this time (only 4 athletes got more wins) received 294 058 points, which allowed him to secure a 7th place, but he missed the 5th spot by less than 400 points. Throughout the 2025 calendar year despite injuries and setbacks, the Barcelona and Poland national team striker appeared on the pitch 53 times scoring 31 goals. 27 of these goals were for Barcelona (19 in La Liga, 4 in the Champions League, 3 in the Copa del Rey, and one in the Supercopa de España final against Real Madrid), bringing his total for the club to 110 goals. He also scored four times for Poland, helping them qualify for the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

This was the 14th time for Lewandowski to finish in the top 10 of the poll. On top of being a 3-time winner he finished second three times and third once. Only two Polish track and field superstars from the past Irena Szewińska and Stanisława Walasiewicz claimed more spots (8) on the podium than him. Because of all that he received a second and more prestigious award: a Champion of the Century. This impressive looking trophy was handed to his wife Anna. „He is a person that is full of surprises. Once - when he scored 5 goals in 9 minutes - he came home and asked me to… make him some pancakes. 

The other day he came back home from the game at 1:30am and started vacuuming and emptying the dishwasher. I told him that I already vacuumed because the kids made the mess, but he said that he will do it again to make sure it’s all clean. So that begs the question: is Robert getting old and readying himself for retirement? Or maybe he will surprise us - me included- yet again? He's a sportsman of great passion and great self-discipline. He always sets new goals for himself and he always wants to succeed. He is addicted to success. But I am waiting and looking forward to spending some quality time and enjoying life with him when he is done with his career.” - said Anna. 

Despite being in Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa de Espana final (in which he scored one of Barcelona's goals) Lewandowski was able to join the celebration via a live remote feed. The 38-year old Polish legend looked happy and relaxed and was clearly moved. His speech began from complimenting his wife’s looks and thanking all who voted for him in all these years. „It’s a great honor and proof that the path I had chosen worked out well. When I started my career I never thought I would be compared against the best Polish athletes in the whole century. At that time I worried about being late for practice or for a family lunch. It’s a result of the work of many people: coaches, teammates, staff members and people that surround me every day. I thank all of you for your trust and for motivating me. Thank all the fans - without your energy and support this would be just me running after the ball. Together we made history, which I would not want to exchange for anything in the world. Thank you to my family, especially my wife, who takes great care of every little detail of my life: from what is on my plate to helping me deal with pressure. For big patience and every sacrifice. Today I know one thing: even though I am a Champion of the Century when I return home I am still just Robert, who has to take the trash out and empty the dishwasher. At the end I can promise you that even though I don’t plan to play for another 100 years I will play as long as I am faster than most of you at the gala! I am not retiring!" - announced the striker.

On Sunday Lewandowski added another football trophy to his impressive count (32). He scored a goal in a 3:2 win vs Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final. Now on the horizon is another La Liga title, Champions League victory and making sure the White Eagles do well in the European World Cup playoffs. In the Path B, Poland first takes on Albania on March 26 in Warsaw and then is set to travel either to Stockholm or Valencia to face the winner of the Ukraine - Sweden matchup. Success in the qualifiers and securing tickets to the final tournament in North America would be of immense importance to 10 millions of Poles living in the USA and Canada. And it would be a great transition for Lewandowski to perhaps join the MLS. 

Przegląd Sportowy Polish Sport Personality of the Year Top 10:

(10 points for 1st place, 9 for 2nd... 1pt for 10th place)

1. Klaudia Zwolińska - slalom canoe - 442 735 pts
2. Iga Świątek - tennis - 346 491
3. Wilfredo Leon - volleyball - 323 081
4. Bartosz Zmarzlik - speedway - 322 685
5. Robert Kubica - automobile racing - 294 422
6. Maria Żodzik - track and field - 294 370
7. Robert Lewandowski - football - 294 058
8. Mateusz Ponitka - basketball - 286 958
9. Aleksandra Mirosław - speed climbing - 274 179
10. Miko Marczyk - automobile racing - 273 519

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