Volleyball pioneer Urszula Figwer awarded ‘Kalós Kagathós’ medal
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The now 92-year-old Urszula Figwer is literally one of a kind. Born in Inwałd, she was and remains best known as a world-class javelin thrower, and a two-time Olympian (in 1956 and 1960), but she started her journey in sport as a volleyball player, first playing in Andrychów, and shortly afterwards, with the Polish national team, recording 23 caps from 1949 to 1952. With Team Poland, she claimed bronze and silver at the first European and World Championships in 1949 and 1952, respectively – the first international competitions in women’s volleyball history.
As a javelin thrower, she was a three-time national champion (1955, 1959, 1960) and 10-time Polish record holder, improving the mark from 51.18 m in 1955 to 57.77 in 1960. Figwer was a member of the so-called Polish track and field “Wunderteam” – a nickname given to the Polish athletics team in the years 1956-1966 due to its significantly greater sports achievements compared to other teams competing in that same period. For the first time this name was used in 1957 by German journalists to describe the victory of the Polish national team over West Germany at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart 117:103.
After retiring from competitive sport, she continued her academic career at the Academy of Physical Education in Krakow and worked as a coach of AZS Krakow (1955-1971).
This past June 14 in the hall of Collegium Maius of the Jagiellonian University, Figwer was announced among the winners of this year’s ‘Kalós Kagathós’ medals. Kalós Kagathós (meaning beautiful and good in Greek) - is a medal awarded since 1985 to outstanding sportspeople who achieved at least national championship level in their disciplines, and later gained an outstanding position and recognition outside of sports as well. The winners of the medal are selected by a jury chaired by the Rector of the Jagiellonian University.
The ‘Kalós Kagathós’ medal refers to the Olympic principle of the unity of the human body and spirit, according to which the model of a versatile man / woman is a harmonious combination of beauty, health, and physical fitness (Greek: kalós) and moral and intellectual virtue (agathós). ‘Kalós Kagathós’ is an ancient idea, obliging one to constantly improve oneself, while striving for inner beauty.
As Figwer’s current health condition did not allow her to participate in the ceremony, Mrs Jadwiga Janus did receive the Kalós Kagathós medal on her behalf. It is worth noting that two years ago, the city of Andrychów celebrated Urszula Figwer’s 90th birthday by publishing a book of which she is the heroine, entitled “My Olympics (and not only)”.
Pictures courtesy of Ms Figwer's personal archives, Radio Andrychów, Jagiellonian University, Jadwiga Janus, and Malopolska Athletics Association. Many thanks to Filip Gradek (Polish Volleyball Federation) for contributing to this story.