Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak

Zdzisław Ludwik Krzyszkowiak ( born August 3, 1929 in Wielichowo, † March 23, 2003 in Warsaw) was a Polish athlete. His greatest achievement was the victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Olympic Games in 1960.

Krzyszkowiak first drew international attention when he missed the bronze medal by 7.4 seconds at the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 and finished fourth. At the European Championships 1958 in Stockholm, he established himself as one of Europe's best long-distance runner and was European champion in 5000 and 10,000 meters. In the same year, he was named by the Polish Press Agency Polska Agencja Prasowa (PAP ) to Europe's Sportsman of the Year.

In the spring of 1960 Krzyszkowiak ran in the 3,000-meter steeplechase a new world record, reaching there a time of 8:31,4 minutes. Two months later, at the Olympic Games in Rome, he was in the 10,000 meters seventh. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, he could be his role as favorite and won the gold medal.

After this success Krzyszkowiak, decided to focus only on the obstacle course. He ran in 1961, although another world record, but had to resign in 1963 because of injuries from professional sports. Krzyszkowiak, who won a total of 13 Polish Champion titles, later worked for many years as a trainer and died at the age of 73 years. According to him, the Zdzisław - Krzyszkowiak Stadium was named in Bydgoszcz.