Polish speedway champ eyes fifth world title

Polish speedway icon Bartosz Zmarzlik is on track to win his fifth world title, comfortably leading the standings with just two competitions left in the season.

Polish speedway racer Bartosz Zmarzlik.

Photo: PAP/Tytus Żmijewski

Last weekend, Zmarzlik stormed to victory at the Speedway Grand Prix in Riga, Latvia, taking the 25th Grand Prix triumph of his career, broadcaster Eurosport reported.

The second Grand Prix win of the season for Bartosz Zmarzlik! 🔥👑

He also makes it back to back wins in Riga 🙌#FIMSpeedwayGP | #LatvianSGP 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/tysYiSLJRL

— FIM Speedway Grand Prix (@SpeedwayGP) September 7, 2024

The penultimate Grand Prix of the year is set to take place this weekend in Denmark.

Here are the standings after 9 rounds 🗒

With 2 rounds to go, can anyone stop Zmarzlik? 👀#FIMSpeedwayGP | #LatvianSGP 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/xzUxNadjID

— FIM Speedway Grand Prix (@SpeedwayGP) September 7, 2024

In December, Zmarzlik received his fourth Speedway GP World Championship gold medal in five years during a ceremony in Liverpool.

He secured his fourth world title last September after winning the season-ending Grand Prix competition in Toruń, north-central Poland.

Bartosz Zmarzlik coraz bliżej kolejnego tytułu mistrza świata! Polak wygrał zawody w Rydze #SpeedwayGP #LatvianSGP https://t.co/nroXzxQD37

— SPORT | PolskieRadio24.pl (@sport_pr24pl) September 7, 2024

Zmarzlik clinched his first world championship in 2019, becoming the third Pole to achieve this feat after Jerzy Szczakiel in 1973 and Tomasz Gollob in 2010.

Speedway has a massive fan base in the country, and Zmarzlik was in January named as the runner-up Polish athlete of the year for 2023 following a public vote.

He finished narrowly behind tennis ace Iga Świątek and ahead of volleyball player Aleksander Śliwka.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP