In 2014, the DPS final took place in Bydgoszcz. At that time, Poland lost to Denmark by one point, and there was a gigantic feeling of dissatisfaction. The goal for the 2015 season was clear and obvious. Return to the top. It quickly became apparent that this might be a “mission impossible.”
DPS 2014 ended with great disappointment for the Polish national team. The White-and-Reds lost gold to Denmark by one point, and it happened in Bydgoszcz. In the last race, Janusz Kołodziej was third, and Niels Kristian Iversen was second, which decided the result.
As a result, the commitment for the 2015 season was to return to the throne. However, the final was once again scheduled for the famous Vojens, and our team had to go through the semi-final in Gniezno. And it was in Gniezno… we lost the gold. Already in the first series of starts, the leader of the Polish team, Jarosław Hampel, suffered a serious injury. It was one of the hardest injuries of his career. Some predicted that Hampel might never return to speedway. Eventually, he did return, but after a long rehabilitation, and according to many, he was never the same Hampel again.
Poland without Hampel and without substitution options (there were no reserves at the time) was unable to win the semi-final in Gniezno. We took second place. We lost the first place to Sweden (only 36:40), and had to face a playoff from which only the winner would advance to the final.
Going back to Gniezno. We didn’t have to lose to Sweden. For example, in one race, Zmarzlik had a mechanical failure while leading. The excellent performance of him, as well as Przemysław Pawlicki and Maciej Janowski, was not enough. The five heats that Hampel was supposed to ride, the Poles forfeited without a fight because the starting positions were empty.
For the next tournaments in the 2015 DPS, coach Marek Cieślak called up Krzysztof Buczkowski to replace the injured Hampel. He turned out to be the absolute hero of the playoff in Vojens, which we won. We defeated, among others, Great Britain (48:43). Janowski scored 14 points, Buczkowski 13, Przemysław Pawlicki 11, and Zmarzlik 10.
The final ended with partial dissatisfaction. Our team raised fans’ hopes because they were long in the race for the first place. Ultimately, Sweden won the gold (34), Denmark took silver (32), and Poland claimed bronze (27). Fourth place went to Australia (26). Only Janowski (11) and partially Pawlicki (9) did not disappoint. Buczkowski (4) and the then 20-year-old Zmarzlik (3) performed poorly.
The third place was not complained about by the then Polish coach Marek Cieślak.
– We didn’t have a leader, and yet we managed to get through the playoff and won a medal. How many teams in the world could achieve this without their star? Few. Moreover, we had realistic chances for gold until halfway through the competition. Unfortunately, our young team then lost its way, but these were really demanding and closely contested competitions, and the result of the last Australia race, which lost seven points to Denmark, shows this. Therefore, there is no reason to complain. Let’s be happy with the bronze because it could have been different – said Cieślak.
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