Janusz Kusociński Memorial
| Janusz Kusociński Memorial | |
|---|---|
| Date | June–August |
| Location |
Szczecin, Poland 
|
| Event type | Track and field |
| Established | 1954 |
| Official site | Janusz Kusociński Memorial |
The Janusz Kusociński Memorial (Polish: Memoriał Janusza Kusocińskiego) is an annual track and field meeting at City Athletics Stadium in Szczecin, Poland.
The meeting was first held in 1954 in memory of the Polish runner Janusz Kusociński, the 1932 Olympic champion over 10,000 metres, who was killed on 21 June 1940 during the German AB-Aktion Operation. The event was located at the 10th-Anniversary Stadium in Warsaw for much of its early history. Later on, the meet venue changed to a rotational basis and the memorial was held in cities such as Lublin, Bydgoszcz, Poznań and most recently Szczecin.
From its inception to the present day, the Janusz Kusociński Memorial has attracted world record holders and Olympic medallists. Initially attracting top Eastern European athletes (including Soviet Olympic champion Vladimir Kuts at the first competition), Frenchman Michel Jazy, American Bill Nieder, and China's Ni Zhiqin were among the participants in its first decade. The 1970s saw runners Ron Clarke and Filbert Bayi compete, while the 1980s featured performers including Wolfgang Schmidt and Sergey Bubka. Among the world record breakers to appear at the memorial in the 1990s were Svetlana Masterkova, Wilson Kipketer and Jan Železný. Numerous Olympic, World and European Championship level athletes continue to take part on an annual basis.
...
Wikipedia