The Most Famous
WRESTLERS from Poland
This page contains a list of the greatest Polish Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 4 of which were born in Poland. This makes Poland the birth place of the 37th most number of Wrestlers behind Egypt, and Puerto Rico.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Polish Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Polish Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Kazimierz Lipień (1949 - 2005)
With an HPI of 41.31, Kazimierz Lipień is the most famous Polish Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.
Kazimierz Lipień (6 February 1949 – 13 November 2005) was a featherweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Poland. He competed at the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics and placed third, first and sixth, respectively. Between 1971 and 1979 he collected 12 medals at the world and European championships, including five gold medals. His twin brother Józef was also an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler. Lipień was born in a large family, and besides Józef had four brothers, Edward, Stanisław, Bogdan and Zbigniew, and two sisters, Ewa and Michalina. He graduated from a technical school in 1972, and in 1980 received a coaching degree in Warsaw. In 1981 he moved to Sweden, where he won three national titles (in 1981 and 1985 in Greco-Roman and in 1982 in freestyle wrestling) and trained wrestlers at various clubs for ten years. In 1991 he returned to Poland and headed the national junior wrestling team. He died in the United States. He had a wife (Antonina) and two sons, Peter and Jacob.
2. Waldemar Legień (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 38.29, Waldemar Legień is the 2nd most famous Polish Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Waldemar Legień (born 28 August 1963) is a Polish retired judoka. He won two Olympic gold medals in different weight classes, in 1988 and 1992. He is also the first person to win back-to-back two Olympic gold medals in Judo. For his achievements, he received the Commandor's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2019 (previously Knight's Cross in 1988 and Officer's Cross in 1992). Legień is the manager of Racing Club de France in Paris.
3. Andrzej Wroński (b. 1965)
With an HPI of 36.42, Andrzej Wroński is the 3rd most famous Polish Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Andrzej Adam Wroński (born 8 October 1965 in Kartuzy, Pomorskie) is a Polish wrestler (Greco-Roman style) who has won two Olympic gold medals. He carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
4. Monika Michalik (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 30.25, Monika Michalik is the 4th most famous Polish Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Monika Ewa Michalik (Polish pronunciation: [mɔˈnika ˈɛva miˈxalik]; born 2 May 1980 in Międzyrzecz) is a freestyle wrestler from Poland. She participated in Women's freestyle 63 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics. In the last 16, she beat Volha Khilko from Belarus. In the quarter-finals Michalik lost to the French wrestler Lise Golliot-Legrand. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Michalik once again reached the quarter-finals, losing to eventual silver medallist Jing Ruixue of China. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the bronze medal defeating Inna Trazhukova of Russia. Her brother Tadeusz is also a wrestler. He won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
5. Denis Kudla (b. 1994)
With an HPI of 28.84, Denis Kudla is the 5th most famous Polish Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
For the American professional tennis player, see Denis Kudla. Denis Maksymilian Kudla (born 24 December 1994) is a German Greco-Roman wrestler. He won a bronze medal at the 2016 European Wrestling Championships. Kudla won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics at 85 kg. He lost to eventual winner Davit Chakvetadze of Russia.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Polish wrestlers born between 1949 and 1994. Of these 5, 4 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Polish wrestlers include Waldemar Legień, Andrzej Wroński, and Monika Michalik. The most famous deceased Polish wrestlers include Kazimierz Lipień. As of April 2024, 1 new Polish wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Kazimierz Lipień.
Living Polish Wrestlers
Go to all Rankings
Waldemar Legień
1963 - Present
HPI: 38.29
Andrzej Wroński
1965 - Present
HPI: 36.42
Monika Michalik
1980 - Present
HPI: 30.25
Denis Kudla
1994 - Present
HPI: 28.84
