Damian Waniczek

Damian Waniczek ( born February 18, 1981 in Szczyrk ) is a Polish natural track luge. He heard both in single-seaters and the doubles of the strongest of his country and is, together with Andrzej Laszczak of the most successful doubles pairs. Laszczak and Waniczek won in the 2001/2002 season the World Cup, won so far in ten World Cup races, won the silver medal at the European Championships in 2010 and five bronze medals at world and European championships. In single-seater Damian Waniczek achieved these results did not, but he had since 2000 been in eight seasons the most successful Poles in the World Cup. By 2011, he won a total of 18 Polish Champion titles, including 6 in the single-seat and 12 in doubles.

Career

Damian Waniczek participates in competitions in tobogganing since 1992. From 1996 to 2000, he competed in three Junior Championships, where his best results were achieved fifth place in the doubles together with Andrzej Laszczak in 1996 in his hometown Szczyrk and the 22nd place in the single-seater 2000 in Obergurgl. End of the 1990s, he played his first World Cup race, both in single-seaters, and together with the two- year-older Waldemar Siąkała in doubles. Since the season 1999/2000 is Damian Waniczek integral part of the Polish Cup team and counts both in single-seaters and the doubles - since 1999/2000 with his new partner Andrzej Laszczak - the most successful of Natural Track lugers his country. In single-seater he reached up to the 2002/2003 season in the World Cup rankings mostly to rank 20 and came three times in the top 25 in the World Cup, two of them as the best poles. In doubles, the duo Laszczak / Waniczek quickly found connection to the top. The five years older Andrzej Laszczak could already draw on several years of World Cup experience along with Marcin Pawlus. After Damian Waniczek and Andrzej Laszczak once came in the first three World Cup races of the 1999/2000 season in the top five, they achieved the first great success at the World Championships in Olang end of January 2000. There she gained behind the Italians Armin and David Mair and the Austrians Reinhard Beer and Herbert Kögl the bronze medal, and thus the first medal for Poland at the 1979 World Championships has been held since at all. Three weeks later, in the World Cup, the first podium finish, when they reached the third place in Železniki on 20 February 2000. In the World Cup this was the second podium finish for Poland, after six years earlier the double Krzysztof Neviadomski and Michał Andrzejewski had also achieved a third place. In the overall World Cup Laszczak / Waniczek occupied in their first season together just ahead of Russian Denis Alimov and Roman Molwistow fourth place. They were also in 2000 for the first time Polish champion in doubles and could this item yet defend each year, which they were until 2011 twelve times Polish champion in doubles.

Something worse than the previous year was the season 2000 /2001. Podiums remained of her best World Cup result was a fourth place in Lüsen and they fell to sixth in the overall standings. At the World Championship 2001 in Stein an der Enns they were on the third placed Peter Lechner and Peter Braunegger fourth with just under a second behind. In the inaugural team competition came the Polish team, the next Damian Waniczek and Andrzej Lasczak still belonged to Magdalena Hula, on the fourth and - after the failure of the team Austria I - last place. As early as next winter we went back uphill steeply and Laszczak / Waniczek celebrated the first World Cup race of the season 2001/2002 in Olang their first victory and at the same time the first World Cup victory for Poland at all. This was followed by a second place in the second race of Olang, and a third place in parallel competition of Triesenberg, only in Obergurgl they did not come in fifth on the podium. With two more victories in the last two World Cup races in Huttau and Železniki secured the poles by a margin of 55 points on the Austrians Beer / Kögl become the first and only time in the overall World Cup victory. In the discharged one week after the World Cup Final 2002 European Championships in Frantschach - Sankt Gertraud Laszczak / Waniczek won in a tight decision, the bronze medal, 17 hundredths of a second behind the winners Wolfgang and Andreas Schopf and only six hundredths of a second behind second-placed Reinhard Beer and Herbert Kögl. In single-seater Damian Waniczek waived after 27th place in the first round to a start in the second race. After Damian Waniczek was already Polish Champion in doubles in the last two years, he won his first title in 2002, single-seater and could defend this successfully until 2006. After he was defeated by Adam Jędrzejko in 2007, he won the 2008 for the sixth and so far last time, the Polish championship in the single-seater.

In the World Cup, the 2002/2003 season began for Damian Waniczek and Andrzej Laszczak as successful as the last one ended. They won the first two races in Fie and Umhausen, were runners-up in Moscow and were in the fourth race of the season in Huttau again at the top of the podium, which they at that time in the interim scoring a lead of 60 points on the Russians Pawel Porschnew and Ivan Lazarev had. But in the last two races, the Poles came only fourth place, while the Russians were victorious once and once placed second and thus prevented the re overall World Cup victory of the Poles; Laszczak / Waniczek occupied by ten points behind second place overall. In the 2003 World Cup in Železniki they missed a medal by 27 hundredths of a second and was like two years ago Fourth. Damian Waniczek day as the only Pole in Einsitzerbewerb and reached the 24th place out of 48 evaluated lugers. In the 2003/2004 season Damian Waniczek and Andrzej Laszczak had from the beginning to do with the decision in doubles overall World Cup little. In the first four races they once drove, as second in Grande Prairie, on the podium. The fifth World Cup race, the parallel competition in Triesenberg, they won though, but in the end they did not come in the World Cup about the fourth addition. At the 2004 European Championships in Huttau they drove only seventh place in the single-seater was Damian Waniczek 31 The next season began with two fifth places in Longiaru and Unterammergau not as desired. Then Laszczak / Waniczek ended but all four World Cup races on the podium, winning twice in Oberperfuss and Latzfons, reaching even the second place in the overall World Cup, 60 points behind Beer / Kögl and ten points ahead Porschnew / Lazarev. After two fourth places at the last two World Championships Laszczak / Waniczek won at the 2005 World Championships in Laces - as five years earlier - again the bronze medal and remained just two hundredths of a second behind second placed Armin Mair and John Hofer. In the team competition, scoring the Polish team, consisting of Damian Waniczek, Andrzej Laszczak and Karolina Waniczek, with only one point behind the team Italy I fourth. Laszczak / Waniczek were achieved in the doubles the fastest time. In single-seater Damian Waniczek came as the best of the three poles to rank 19th in the World Cup, his results improved noticeably in the single-seater and he drove in winter 2003/2004 with 14th place in Moscow for the first time into the top 15 of a World Cup race. Twice he succeeded in the 2004/2005 season, which he as each best poles in the single-seat World Cup reached the 16th place in both years.

In the two-seater was the victory in the opening race of the season 2005/2006 in so far Longiaru the last of the Polish successful duo in the World Cup. In the second half of the season they went twice, as a third party in Grande Prairie and second in Oberperfuss, on the podium, but fell in the World Cup back in fourth place. Unusually bad was the season 2006/2007. For the first time in six years they traveled in any World Cup race in the top three, and were, as well as six years earlier, only sixth in the World Cup. But Damian Waniczek reached number 13 in Obergurgl be provisionally best World Cup result in the single-seater. At the European Championships 2006 in Obergurgl achieved Laszczak / Waniczek ninth place but their worst career outcome, but at the 2007 World Championships in Grande Prairie they could improve again in fourth place. They also occupied there with Kinga Gawlas and Adam Jędrzejko fifth place in the team competition. In single-seater Damian Waniczek made ​​it to number 26 in the 2006 European Championships; at the 2007 World Cup, he was not at the start. In the 2007/2008 season the double Laszczak / Waniczek again reached two second places in moss pass in eggs and Laces. With two more top 5 results they occupied in the World Cup behind the Italians Patrick Pigneter and Florian Clara, who won all six races of the season, and the Russians Porschnew / Lazarev third place. At the 2008 European Championships in Olang but they were only seventh in doubles, while Damian Waniczek reached the twelve space and thus its personal best at World and European Championships in the single-seater.

In the 2008/2009 season Damian Waniczek reach the World Cup his best-ever single-seater results. Eleventh place in oven German was his best result in a World Cup race with number 14, he scored his best result overall. In no world cup race of the season he was worse than 18th in the doubles, two third places Damian Waniczeks and Andrzej Laszczaks best World Cup results in the seasons 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 and in two years they came with two other top 5 results were on fourth place in the overall World Cup. At the 2009 World Championships in moss in pass eggs they won for the third time after 2000 and 2005, the bronze medal in the doubles. In addition, they were together with Natalia Waniczek and Adam Jędrzejko fifth in the team competition and Damian Waniczek took place in single-seater 21 The largest after her overall World Cup victory success so far succeeded in Poland at the European Championships 2010 in St. Sebastian. After they had already four times finished third and just as often ranked fourth in international championships, Andrzej Laszczak and Damian Waniczek won at the 2010 European Championships with the respective second fastest run time and a gap of 1.52 seconds on the Italians Patrick Pigneter and Florian Clara and a lead of 29 hundredths of a second on the Russian Alexander Yegorov and Pyotr Popov, the silver medal in the doubles. In addition, they were with Natalia Waniczek and Adam Jędrzejko sixth in the team competition; in the single-seater Damian Waniczek was 22

In the first two World Cup races of the season 2010/2011 Waniczek launched only in the single-seater, only in the third race and the duo Laszczak / Waniczek was back in the doubles at the start. By the ninth place in Gsies they started but very bad in the season. However, the Polish duo could increase again until the World Cup 2011 in Obergurgl and win for the fourth time the bronze medal in the doubles. In the team competition, they finished together with the single seaters Violetta Ryś and Adam Jędrzejko eighth place out of nine teams; in the single-seater Waniczek 23 World Cup was in the duo Laszczak / Waniczek however since the 2000/2001 season for the first time succeeded no podium. They fell back to eighth place in the overall World Cup. Also in the World Cup season 2011/2012 they succeeded no podium, but with four top 5 results, Laszczak / Waniczek could improve again in fifth in doubles overall World Cup. In single-seater Damian Waniczek placed as last year mostly to rank 20, which he was also in the World Cup 20. At the European Championships 2012 in Novouralsk Waniczek was 23 in the single-seater, while the duo Laszczak / Waniczek ranked in doubles and fifth place in the team competition in a mixed team with the two -seaters Adam Jędrzejko and Slovenian Petra Dragicevic eighth.

Achievements

( unless otherwise stated, two-seater with Andrzej Laszczak )

World Championships

  • Olang 2000: 3 doubles
  • Stein an der Enns 2001: 4 doubles, 4 crew
  • Železniki 2003: 24 single-seat, 4 doubles
  • Laces 2005: 19 seater, 3 doubles, 4 crew
  • Grande Prairie 2007: 4 doubles, 5 team
  • Moos in Passeier 2009: 21 seater, 3 doubles, 6 team
  • Umhausen 2011: 23 seater, 3 doubles, 8 team

European Championships

  • Frantschach 2002: 3 doubles
  • Huttau 2004: 31 seater, 7 doubles
  • Umhausen 2006: 26 seater, 9 seater double
  • Olang 2008: 12 seater, 7 doubles
  • St. Sebastian 2010: 22 seater, 2 doubles, 6 team
  • Novouralsk 2012: 24 seater, 5 doubles, 8 team

European Junior Championships

  • Szczyrk 1996: 32 seater, 5 doubles
  • Feld am See 1998: 29 seater, 12 doubles ( with Michał Galas )
  • Umhausen 2000: 22 seater

World Cup

  • Overall World Cup victory in doubles in the 2001/2002 season
  • 2nd place overall in doubles Luge World Cup in the seasons 2002/2003 and 2004/2005
  • 3rd place overall in doubles Luge World Cup in the 2007 /2008 season
  • 25 podiums including 10 victories:

Polish Championships

  • Twelve Multiple Polish Champion in doubles (2000 to 2011)
  • Six-time Polish Champion in single-seater (2002 to 2006 and 2008 )
FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2000 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2005 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2009 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2011 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2002 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2010 David Mair (natural track luger and skeleton racer) FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2001 Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud Wolfgang Schopf FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2004 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2006 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2007 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2008 Deutschnofen Sankt Sebastian, Styria Aleksandr Yegorov (luger) Corrado Hérin Helmut Ruetz Andi Ruetz Christian Schatz
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