Kierczyńska was crowned European Games champion after beating Belgium’s Axana Depypere 30:27 in the final in the southern town of Myślenice, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
There were two more Muay Thai medals for Poland on Tuesday, taking the country’s tally in this combat sport to five, according to officials.
Roksana Dargiel took silver in the women’s 51 kg category, while Oskar Siegert came second in the men’s 67 kg event, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Poland scooped yet another silver medal when the women’s rugby sevens team beat the Czech Republic 29-7 in the semifinal, before losing 0-33 to Great Britain in the final at the Municipal Henryk Reyman Stadium in Kraków.
Thanks to its second-place finish, the Polish team earned a place at the final qualification tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, scheduled for June next year, according to news outlets.
Elsewhere, Natalia Bajor came close to taking bronze in the women’s table tennis singles competition, losing narrowly 3-4 to Elizabeta Samara of Romania in the third-place match in Kraków, the PAP news agency reported.
Bajor said that despite missing out on a medal, she was “pleased" because she "did well in the tournament.”
Meanwhile, three Polish athletes on Tuesday advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s boxing event in the southern mountain town of Nowy Targ, according to officials.
Natalia Rok reached the last eight in the 54 kg category, Julia Szeremeta made the quarterfinal in the 57 kg class, and Elżbieta Wójcik progressed to the last eight in the 75 kg category, the PAP news agency reported.
After Tuesday’s action, Poland’s medal tally at the 2023 European Games stood at 34 medals, 11 gold, 14 silver and nine bronze, equalling the combined number of podium finishes at the two previous European Games, in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015 and in Minsk, Belarus in 2019, according to news outlets.
Poland sat fifth in the medals table as of Wednesday morning, with Italy topping the standings thanks to 19 golds, 19 silvers and 25 bronzes, followed by Spain (18-11-14), Ukraine (17-10-7) and Germany (12-10-11), the PAP news agency reported.
2023 European Games
A total of 370 Polish athletes, 188 men and 182 women, are vying for medals at the 3rd European Games, which opened in the historic Polish city of Kraków last Wednesday and run until July 2.
The 2023 European Games feature 12 days of competition in 29 sports and provide opportunities to win European championship medals and a pathway to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in some of the sports.
Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk said earlier this month that Poland was aiming to top the medals table of the Games.
"We set ourselves ambitious goals," Bortniczuk said. "We hope to finish top of the medal standings."
More than 7,000 athletes from 48 countries have flocked to Poland to compete in the event, which is taking place at 25 venues in 13 southern Polish cities.
Poland won 14 medals, three gold, one silver and 10 bronze, at the 2nd European Games in Minsk, Belarus in 2019.
Team Poland scooped 20 medals, two gold, eight silver and 10 bronze, at the 1st European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, european-games.org, TVP Sport