Artur Gac, Interia: Let’s start with explaining the reasons for your absence from the European team championship at the Silesian Stadium. What finally tipped the scales?
Maria Andrejczyk: – I am happy to explain this to put an end to all speculation. Subtle health problems have decided, but nothing terrible. If it were something serious, I would not come to Chorzów, but I would take very important steps, because the most important goal this year is the Olympics. Nothing is more important and nothing else matters. I will do anything to start there.
It sounded …
… A little bit dramatic, but no. Everything is fine with health. It’s just that the overloads that resulted from this huge 71.40 m throw made my shoulder a little bit unable to withstand it and a bit of a tear, but these are really small things. Professor Lubiatowski has already taken care of it properly, and he is the man who has been looking after my shoulder for five years. He knows him very well, and I trust his every decision, because I went to the professor with every problem with my projecting apparatus and we always found a solution. Therefore, since he is calm, I also have no reason to worry.
So you are now using the so-called blowing in the cold?
– That’s right, it’s such a protective approach. I could take off, but it’s not fully healed yet, so I don’t want to jerk my shoulder. At the same time, I would not like to be misunderstood, as if I would totally “ignore” this start in Chorzów. My heart really hurts when I’m in the stadium and I can’t start because I love the atmosphere of the competition. At the same time, I am glad that I could appear on the spot and support my friends in this way by cheering.
I believe that the mere presence in Chorzów is the best answer for those who might think that you do not want to compete.
– Yes of course. Apart from me, there was also Ania Kiełbasińska and Asia Jóźwik. We all just live when we can’t take part in it. It’s the most important part of our lives, so it has to be. In addition, the competition of our friends motivates us to get rid of all these pains and return to the competition as soon as possible.
The fact that you contracted the injury when you set the third best result in the history of female javelin throwing may be a certain metaphor for a life in which success often has a bittersweet taste.
– In general, my whole career, so far, has been paid for only with a bitter taste, but I am not giving up. And I can tell you honestly that I am very positive about the months to come and the years to come. I’m just happy and I’m not afraid of the next competition. I look at it all with confidence. I know very well how much hard work I did in winter and in previous years. It was work not only with my trainer, but also with the psychologist Jan Blecharz. It all looks incredibly professional. I can see that I have become a completely different player, I have a completely different approach to certain issues. Damn, I’m proud of myself! I did a good job and I have no reason to worry about anything.
If you were to look for an athlete who could get out of various twists and turns in life, you wouldn’t have to look far. I stand face to face with such a warrior.
– Well, you can find various motivations. First of all, I am very stubborn. No matter what, I would still fight for what I planned and dreamed of. On the other hand, a great example of the fight to return to full fitness is the former Polish record holder, Basia Madejczyk, who has already struggled with cancer twice. She is an amazing woman for me. I remember in 2013 I had the opportunity to be with her for the first time at the camp. I think to myself: “Jesus, Mrs. Basia Madejczyk with me at one camp”. It was just a hit! You know, every time we had techniques, I asked Ms. Basia what she thought about a given topic and admired with what grace she moved along the run. I couldn’t see it. It was also a very positive incentive for my further work, because I knew Basia returned with fantastic results. In fact, there are many examples and each of the athletes competing today has a history and problems. We all struggle with the pain that is an inseparable part of an athlete’s life. It all really depends on strength of character, and pain shows us what we’re made of.
You talk about it all very emotionally … I would not like to go back to the subject of your illness in detail, but listening to you, I must say that pain and suffering ennoble a person to a great extent. Man begins to appreciate very much those things, situations, and events that he or she might otherwise be on the agenda.
– Exactly. Pain, injuries or problems in general lead us to the ground floor very quickly. They teach patience, respect and show us that you have to be modest above all else. You just have to focus on your work, and if you want to celebrate, do it only after you win, but then go back to hard work very quickly. “Soda” can’t kick back. There are athletes who like it, but there are few with a specific mentality. It’s not bad, absolutely, but I know it doesn’t help me. I am very satisfied with what is now, and I have been arranging it for years.
Danger of the so-called snacks or focusing attention only on oneself may be greater in those athletes who walk practically from success to success in sports and life, and avoid all adversities. All this can perpetuate the feeling of living in a “bubble” and a lack of reflection.
– I agree, because our attitudes in life always depend on our experiences in life. That is, from all good and bad situations. On the other hand, it is pleasant to watch ideal careers, where you are a born winner from the beginning to the end, no matter what you do, where you start, under what circumstances and conditions. So it was always just the winner. This is fun, but we know very well that life is not like a fairy tale. It is often unfair and very difficult, showing a place in a row. It’s a bit like a sport that is also unpredictable. And we are not really sure what will happen next month, next year or even tomorrow. It is all one big mystery. We can be sure of our disposition and the work we have done and many other factors, but it is still not enough to know what the next day will bring.
You went down in the history of the Polish javelin on May 9 in Split, becoming the new record holder of our country. Even though several weeks have passed since this spectacular result, you still get used to the thought of what you have accomplished?
– I think that I am already acclimatized to the subject. I know I can throw so much. Of course, this small shoulder indisposition brought me to the ground very quickly, although I was already thinking about the next training session right after the throw and focused on what work would need to be done and what else to improve. That is why I absolutely did not hang anything around my neck and I did not think to rest on my laurels.
You had the impression that everyone around you was euphoric, and you seemed to be most careful in all of this.
– Because it is such a climate and it is no wonder that people love to do it. But I, already taught by my experience from years ago, and above all from Rio de Janeiro, knew exactly what to focus on. I worked on this for many years with professor Blecharz. So I’m glad that I achieved this result and I am able to repeat it because I know how I did it. However, I am also aware that everything must be at the optimal level, and above all, the disposition. Therefore, I myself am very curious about what will happen in the coming months.
During the record throw, everything went perfectly fine, were there any reserves?
– You can always fault something, but I must admit that so far I have not had time with the coach to analyze this throw. The other thing is, we rarely do this when it comes to competition throws, but my coach probably has it in his head what we need to focus on and what to work on. There will always be this optimization and acceleration in acceleration, because the point is not to run into the dump as fast as possible, because then I will not be able to withstand the overloads that will arise with the speed, which will cause me to lose all vector forces and the throw will not come out. In addition, I can also “get carried away”, so it all has to be incredibly balanced. We will work on it, because we still have a little time.
What will be the time left to the start of the Games in your case?
– On June 10, I am starting a 10- or 14-day camp in Karpacz. I would really like this camp to join the Polish championship in order to go straight to the competition. I hope to be able to start there. Of course, I don’t know how my shoulder will react yet. In any case, I have absolutely no pressure, because I have already made the plan for the first part of the season, in the form of a minimum for the Olympics. Therefore, my next start may as well take place in Japan. Time will come for the answers, but I’m betting on the national championship. We will see how my “colleague” will do and mobilize to work (Maria pointed to the shoulder – note AG). Later, maybe I will start in early July, and after mid-July I will be flying to Japan for full acclimatization. Near Yokohama, at an altitude of about a thousand meters above sea level, we have a training center. I have already talked to the president, who I asked if it was a good decision that I decided to fully acclimatize. This, he said, was the most correct solution. So I’m glad that I also make the right decisions intuitively. Man, I can’t wait!
Do you always personify your pain and injuries in this way in order to get used to your “colleagues” more?
– No pain, although I’m used to it, but with the shoulder I’m already for your brother. I know very well how much we went through together, how much hard work we did and how much pain we really had to accept. I trust my body, that’s why I know we … It sounded like a bipolar (smile). But yes, I know we can do a lot more. I believe that this is not the limit of my possibilities yet.
