"Dreams give wings!" - Weronika Pyzik on the cross-country European Championship medal

Weronika Pyzik – girl for a medal, a bronze medal of 25th European Cross-Country Championships. After splendid finishing, Polish runner stood on the lowest step of the podium in the youth category. It is a thirteenth medal in the history of our performances at this event.

A runner from Biłgoraj, who is representing and training on a daily basis on the famus University of Oregon, from the very beginning of the race moved ambitiously and tried to control the rate, but at the end of the second lap of the 6.3-kilometer route she had already lost several seconds to the leading three. The fight for the podium took place at the very end.

The Pole, who ran in the fourth position, showed off with a great sprint finish, catching up and chasing the Swiss - Chiara Scherrer in front of her for 2 seconds.

“The goal was to get a medal. I thought that its color would depend to a large extent on the route and how the race would go. Already after the first round I knew that there would be more candidates to a podium than I had dreamed of. The pace was slow, we were running in a large group. We were kinking, squeezing, pushing each other all the time, as if the route itself did not give us enough struggles” - says Weronika Pyzik.

“In fact, I was afraid that with my stadium pace for 10 km I will not catch up with the Swiss. But as I found out, dreams are giving one wings! - states the runner.

Weronika admits that from the very beginning she wanted to move ambitiously, not to hide behind her rivals and eat their dust.

“My trainer said that I have to take off quickly and stick to the leading group, because the route is very demanding and tangling in further places, hoping for a strong finish on 2 km to the finish line, can be very risky. Besides, she told me to focus on the instinct, because until now it was quite accurate. In fact, in such an international mix, it is hard to predict any movements of the players” - says the Polish medalist.

And where are the strengths for the finish?

- As I mentioned, it's dreams. The start at the European Championships was not the purpose of the season for me. I've dreamed about it since I was a child. Since I started sneakers in elementary school, I dreamed of running an eagle on a T-shirt. Each start in the team treats like a huge distinction and a chance, and not just another start that can go out or not - emphasizes Weronika Pyzik.

And where to find strenght to keep up till the finish line?

- “As I mentioned, it's all about the dreams. Competing at the European Championships was not the goal of the season itself. I dreamed about this since I was a child. Since I got my first sneakers in elementary school, I dreamed of running with an eagle (Polish emblm - author) on a t-shirt.” Each one on the team is treating the competition as a great honour and a chance, and not as yet another run which can be ok or not” - says Weronika Pyzik.

“On the other hand, when I stood on the podium, I missed Polish national anthem. The last time I stood on the podium of the International Mountain Running Youth Challenge, I won in the mountain races (2012 - red). I admit that from all my memories, it was that unbeatable moment when I heard the anthem and cried while standing on the highest step of the podium, there is absolutely no competition to this feeling - says Weronika Pyzik.

In over a hundred days, comming up are the World Cross Country Championships, which will take place in the Danish Aarhus. Two years ago in Uganda, the Poles below expectations. In 2015, in China in Guiyang, Poland was represented only by four juniors. The best runner of the “White-and-Red” team at that time was... Weronika Pyzik, who took the 85th place.

RZ