He fought to the end, as befits Hubert Wagner’s team. But he could not win this game. Tomasz Wójtowicz, the legendary volleyball player, was overcome by cancer.
When the Poles of Mexico won the first-ever world championship, he was only 21 years old. It was 1974. Two years later, without him, there probably wouldn’t be any gold in the field. games in Montreal. The only one so far. We have had great representation and outstanding players for years, but none of the contemporary volleyball players have achieved such a double.
Tomasz Wójtowicz in the Hall of Fame
He did not lose his head even in the most difficult times. In the last balls of the fifth sets, it was he who finished the most important attacks. Only the biggest are. It was appreciated by fans and professionals alike. He was the first Pole to be elected to the World Volleyball Celebrity Gallery.
It’s hard to compare Wójtowicz to today’s stars. After all, nearly half a century has passed since his greatest triumphs. After all, not only younger fans don’t remember playing 15 points in a set, which could only be scored on their own serve. And such rules were in force at that time. In an interview from a few months ago, Tomasz Wójtowicz pointed to much better technical training and greater versatility back then. As long as he had strength, he closely observed his beloved discipline. He was, among other things, a commentator in Polsat.
To this day, I have a picture of a limping Tomasz Wojtowicz during the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He had back and meniscus problems, yet he tried to help the team. If he had been healthy, he and his friends would most likely have won another one, maybe a gold medal, and not just fourth place.
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Patron support
Today, people who knew him not only in the field are speaking out to hear about the death of the great master. They point out that he was a popular, modest and valuable man. For three years, he has been battling the disease. During this time, he was distinguished and honored several times. As if all these distinctions should relieve suffering. For example, he became an honorary citizen of Lublin and Świdnik, places with which he was most closely associated.
Chemotherapy couldn’t fight the cancer. Literally a few days ago we received a call from the Lublin Volleyball Development Foundation Tomasz Wójtowicz for their support of their patron. The accumulated funds were to be used for experimental treatment.
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