Paweł Januszewski

Paweł Januszewski ( born January 2, 1972 in Pyrzyce ) is a former Polish athlete who scored in the 400 - meter hurdles world class, but also reached with the Polish 4 x 400 - meter relay finals at international championships.

At the Junior European Championships 1971 Januszewski won the silver medal with the Polish squadron. His first major championships at senior level were the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994, where he retired in s 400 - meter hurdles after 49.95 in the semifinals. At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, he left over the hurdles in the flow. With the Polish season he was fifth in the final. Also in Atlanta in the 1996 Olympics he was eliminated over the hurdles in the flow. With the season he qualified for the finals, but was not used in the final.

In 1997 he ran for the first time below 49 seconds. His Polish national record of 48.94 s was not enough, however, in the semi-finals at the World Championships in Athens for the final. In September 1997, Januszewski had an accident with his car so hard that his death was first reported. He survived and returned in the summer of 1998 back on the track. He won his semi-final at the European Championships 1998 in Budapest see with another national record of 48.90 in the finals, he rose to 48.17 s and won 0.08 seconds ahead of the Russian Ruslan Maschtschenko. Only Fabrizio Mori in third place, there was still less than 49 seconds. The time of 48.17 s should remain Januszewskis record performance in 2001 improved Marek Plawgo the Polish record of 48.16 s

In 48.64 s Januszewski won at the Universiade 1999 in Palma de Mallorca. At the 1999 World Championships in Seville, he ran 48.19 s in then close to his record approach, but was only fifth. While Fabrizio Mori s clearly lay in front 47.72, Stéphane Diagana was in second place only 0.07 seconds ahead of Januszewski. In the final of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Januszewski ran 48.44 s in sixth, but the level is best before Mori Europeans.

At the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton Januszewski again reached the finals and finished sixth in 48.57 s 2002 he won after 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000, his fifth Polish Champion title on the hurdle track. In Munich at the European Championships in 2002 there was an unusual finale, since the field was far apart. Diagana was European champion by a wide margin, behind the Czech Jiří Mužík was only 0.03 seconds ahead of Januszewski, gaped behind again a big gap up to Mori fourth.

With its height of 1.78 m and a competition weight of 68 kg, it was rather thin for a hurdler.