Sunday's afternoon session of the Short Track Speed Skating European Championships' began with the mixed relay final - in which the Polish team confidently rode for the bronze, until Italians' final bend fall let them grab the European Championships silver.
The championships concluded with the men's relay race. French-Polish Diane Sellier returned to Poland's lineup, replacing Polish-Canadian Neithan Thomas, who had previously ridden the relay. The team also included Niewiński, Pigeon, and Łukasz Kuczyński.
The Polish national team heroically battled for top honours, fluctuating between 1st and 3rd place for much of the race. Over time, however, the Italians and the Dutch pulled away and the Poles finished third, taking home a set of European Championships bronze medals.
"We're happy with our achievements, both in the mixed and men's relay teams. The boys have completed a tough qualifying campaign for the Olympics, and it's great that they showed such a good performance in Tilburg"
- summed up Konrad Niedźwiedzki, Polish Speed Skating Association's sports director, quoted in the organisation's press release.
In the individual women's events, Natalia Maliszewska was 4th in the 500m A final race, while Kamila Sellier finished fifth in the 1500m A final.
The European Championships were the last event before the Olympic competition in Milan. After returning to Poland, the Polish national team will have a few days off before heading to Bormio for a training camp. They will remain in Italy until the Olympics, where they will begin competing on February 10th.
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Source: PAP, IAR