Justina Kozan won the bronze medal for Poland in the women's 400-metre individual medley at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Wednesday.
The United States-born swimmer finished the evening final in a time of 4:36.47, setting a new Polish national record in the process.
Kozan had qualified for the final earlier in the day after posting the fastest time in the morning heats at 4:40.47. During the evening final, she spent much of the race holding fourth and fifth position before accelerating in the closing stretch to move into third place.
Ellen Walshe of Ireland won the gold medal in the event with a time of 4:34.42, while Amalie Smith of Great Britain took silver in 4:35.12.
Kozan's final time surpassed the previous Polish national record of 4:36.95, which had been set in 2008 by Katarzyna Baranowska. Writing online after the race, Łukasz Gagaska stated that Kozan had claimed bronze and established a new national mark, noting that her medal was Poland's first in Paris and would not be the last.
European Championship Standings and Medley Format
The bronze medal moved Poland into 14th place in the overall championship medal classification in Paris. The European Aquatics Championships is the continent's flagship swimming event, hosted biennially to determine European champions across elite aquatic disciplines.
The 400-metre individual medley is widely considered one of competitive swimming's most demanding events, requiring athletes to complete 100 metres each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in succession.
Polish Heritage and Family Background
Although Kozan was born and raised in the United States, she decided to represent Poland in international competition. Speaking about her decision earlier in the year, she explained that she had always thought about swimming for Poland because both of her parents are Polish and she grew up steeped in the culture and heritage.
She shared that she continues to learn the language, having grown up in a home where her parents spoke a blend of Polish and English. She added that her memories of visiting family in Poland included trips to the Baltic resort town of Sopot and eating local waffles, ideally served with raspberries and whipped cream.
Sopot is a well-known coastal city in northern Poland along the Bay of Gdansk, famous for its wooden pier and beach tourism.
Coaching and University Training
Her achievement in Paris was made possible through her collaboration with coach Bartosz Kizierowski. Kozan is currently a senior student at the University of Southern California, where she has one semester remaining before completing her degree.
The University of Southern California, based in Los Angeles, operates one of the top collegiate swimming programs in North America. Kozan explained that she maintains constant communication with Kizierowski, using WhatsApp to send regular updates on her daily training sessions and competition performances.
She reflected that moving between teams was a sad process, but noted that the broader swimming community remains mutually supportive and enthusiastic about each swimmer's achievements.
