Wladyslaw Kozakiewic Polish, later German pole vaulter Date of Birth: 08.12.1983 Country: Poland

Biography of Vladislav Kozakevich

Vladislav Kozakevich is a former Polish and later German pole vaulter, who became the Olympic champion in 1980. He competed against fellow Pole and Olympic champion of 1976, Tadeusz Slusarski, and Konstantin Volkov from the USSR in the Olympic final held in Moscow on July 30, 1980, at the Luzhniki Stadium's Big Sports Arena. After his victory, Kozakevich made the famous "Kozakevich gesture" (known in Russia as "half-wave"), despite the audience supporting Volkov and jeering at Kozakevich.

Later, the Polish athlete solidified his win by setting a new world record of 5.78 meters. Due to this gesture, the Soviet authorities, represented by the USSR Ambassador to Poland, Boris Aristov, officially intended to strip him of his medal. However, the Polish authorities claimed that Kozakevich's arm involuntarily bent due to a muscle spasm. In Moscow, Kozakevich became one of the three Poles who won Olympic gold. At the end of 1980, he was recognized as the best athlete in Poland.

Since 1985, Kozakevich has been living in Germany, representing the German national team. He became the Indoor European champion twice (in 1977 and 1979), won silver at the European Championships in 1974, and earned bronze in 1975 and 1982. He also became a ten-time champion of Poland and a two-time champion of Germany. In addition to his pole vaulting achievements, Kozakevich won the UEFA Cup in the 1995/1996 season with Widzew Lodz.

Kozakevich held the world record twice, jumping 5.72 meters in 1980 and 5.78 meters in the same year. He also set eight national records in Poland and held the record in Germany. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he settled in his native Lithuania.