Tokyo 2020. Rowing. Katarzyna Zillmann came out

• “I dedicate this medal to my girlfriend Julia” – said Katarzyna Zillmann, a Polish rider who, together with her friends, took second place in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in the competition of doubles with: Maria Sajdak, Marta Wieliczko and Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska
• Thus, another coming out took place in the Polish Olympic team at the Olympics in Tokyo. Earlier Aleksandra Jarmolińska did it
• “People. Let us all love each other. So humanly. Let us not say who we can love and who we cannot. Let us keep our eyes open to the needs of other people” – appealed Zillmann
• You can find more such stories on the Onet.pl homepage

It was an extremely emotional day for you. Are you tired?

– A bit like that. I slowly stop grasping what is happening around me.

Have you realized that she is an Olympic runner-up?

– On average. I just need a moment to feel what we’ve done. So far, there is chaos and a lot of noise all around. I just need to sleep with this.

So there was not yet a moment to enjoy this success?

– I had a minute. I checked my phone and saw an avalanche of congratulations. So you can say that I have started celebrating success. I’m starting to feel so relieved and at ease because we’ve only been thinking about this one day for the last five years.

From whom did the congratulations surprise you the most?

– I don’t think there was anything like that. But everywhere is full of me and us in the media. On Make Life Harder there was a mention of my 2019 action “Sport against homophobia”. They probably put it in the context of what is happening in our country on this topic. I must admit that it surprised me.

But it was probably a good day for such a manifesto?

– In fact, every moment is good to speak out loud about who you love. This one, however, was really special.

You dedicated the medal to your girlfriend – Julia.

– Yes. Julia Walczak. A canoeing rider that competes in canoes.

Have you been together for a long time?

– Couple months.

This is probably the first time you said this out loud.

– It seemed to me that I was not hiding it. So it turned out that it is official now. I don’t think it takes a lot of courage. It was definitely not a turning point in my life. I have mentioned this earlier in various interviews, but apparently it was not broadcast after editing.

Do you feel discriminated against in some way in Poland? Is there a lot of hate on homosexuals in our country?

“If people aren’t in the middle of this whole gale, they just live in their bubble and don’t feel discriminated against, they just don’t see it. It’s sad that we don’t look around. We do not support people who may feel worse because of some stupid text. It is sad and embarrassing that also among the athletes there are, unfortunately, people who do not respect the minority.

And that’s why you talk about your orientation more and more boldly? The Olympics are such an event through which it can be heard even more clearly.

– Ola did it recently. I met her at the opening ceremony. Nice girl. I envied her that she managed to get men’s clothes for her because she was wearing a jacket.

One of the first in our country was volleyball player Katarzyna Skorupa.

– And like her, I felt the need to talk about it, but I haven’t had too many opportunities so far. I appreciate the great job Katarzyna Skorupa has done on this topic. Just like many other athletes. Anyway, I know how important it is. One photo I posted on social media in a T-shirt with the words “#Sport Against Homophobia” caused many younger rowers to write to me. Teenager. One girl in particular opened a lot to me. She described her difficult situation at home to me. She admitted that my post helped her a lot. Such a message in the face of a hundred hate comments or a thousand disgusted expressions compensates me for everything.

Your parents never held a grudge against you?

– Never. They gave me a free hand. I just had to learn a lot myself, but she never had any qualms about introducing my girlfriend to her parents.

What was the first thing you did when you returned to the Olympic Village?

– I called my girlfriend. I showed her the medal. Now she’d just admitted that she’d been a nervous wreck for the past two weeks, though she didn’t show it. Then, of course, there was a conversation with mum. I had to calm her down because there were still so many emotions in her. She cried a lot. I saw a video that someone recorded, because my parents watched this race together in a group of friends at the marina in Toruń. I do not hide that I was touched by him.

Didn’t you have an easy road, and yet you have come a long way?

– Since I was a child, I was wayward and bully. I’ve always had a lot of energy in me. That’s why I went to sports to relieve it a bit. For as long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of playing in the Olympics. Now, not only did I perform in them, but I also come back with a medal. So there is full happiness.

At school, the teachers had no problems with you?

– And what. I was transferred from class to class several times. My adventure with education was really difficult, so the most important thing is that I passed all the classes in turn, without any stops along the way.

Why were you constantly moved?

– Because I missed lessons too often.

However, your parents supported you?

– They just didn’t bother me. They didn’t impose any pressure or expectations on me. They let me live my way. In my opinion, it helps, because a person adapts to life faster and is able to function better. We lived in difficult conditions, but I did not miss anything from them.

It was probably thanks to this that it was easier for you to adapt to the role of the route in the settlement. It depends on you a lot. Besides, you have a lot of responsibility.

– And I feel it on my back, because the rhythm of the settlement depends on me. But I wouldn’t be able to do anything without the girls in the back. Maria has to stick perfectly, and Agnieszka is responsible for the passwords in the boat. In the track, you only hear her, and I speak, just follow the instructions.

What would you like to say to everyone after this great success?

– People. Let’s all love each other. Yes humanly. Let’s not say who we can love and who we can’t. This is so basic that I shouldn’t be talking about it at all. Unfortunately, as you can see, you still have to talk about it. Let us keep our eyes open to the needs of other people. It is enough to find a little empathy in yourself. We should also know that everyone we meet can experience different moments in their own way. And sticking high heels or writing unpleasant comments can hurt someone a lot.

In Tokyo – talked by Tomasz Kalemba, Onet Sport

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