Korzeniowski received the award in the rank of Knight from the French ambassador to Poland, Étienne de Poncins, during a ceremony in Warsaw on Tuesday.
In his remarks, the ambassador praised Korzeniowski’s accomplishments in athletics as well as his role in strengthening sporting relations between France and Poland.
“Dear Robert, everyone runs toward fame — you walked your way to it,” de Poncins said.
Korzeniowski said he was proud to have contributed to the development of racewalking in both Poland and France, particularly among young athletes.
“I remember that after my first Olympic gold medal, a banner reading ‘France + Poland = Robert’ hung for a long time at the town hall in Tourcoing,” he said, referring to the northern French city on the Belgian border.
Poland’s Sports Minister Jakub Rutnicki praised Korzeniowski’s continued involvement in promoting athletics and expressed hope that such efforts could one day help Poland host the Olympic Games.
Family members and friends, including representatives from French clubs US Tourcoing and Racing Club de France, attended the ceremony at the French embassy in Warsaw, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Korzeniowski is widely regarded as one of the greatest racewalkers in history. He won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's 50-kilometre event at the 1996 Atlanta Games and went on to claim two more titles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics—in both the 20 km and 50 km races—becoming the first athlete to win both distances at a single Games. He added a fourth gold medal in the 50 km at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
He also won four medals at the World Athletics Championships between 1995 and 2003, including three golds.
Since retiring, Korzeniowski has remained active in promoting athletics, founding the RK Athletics club in 2015 and launching a foundation in his name in 2019 to support sports initiatives.
He has also organised major sporting events, including the Cracovia Marathon in the southern Polish city of Kraków, and worked with youth sports clubs.
Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honour is awarded to both French citizens and foreign nationals for outstanding civilian or military merit.
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Source: IAR, PAP