Bartosz Kurek


Bartosz Kamil Kurek is a Polish volleyball player, a member of Poland men's national volleyball team. He was a participant at the Olympic Games, and he is a 2018 World Champion, 2009 European Champion, a gold medalist of the 2012 World League, silver medalist of the 2011 World Cup, bronze medalist of the 2011 World League, 2011 European Championship and 2015 World Cup, three–time Polish Champion and Italian Champion. In 2019, he became the first volleyball player to be voted the Polish Sports Personality of the Year.
3:1 Lotos Trefl Gdańsk match at Ergo Arena, Gdańsk in the season 2011/2012.
in Katowice. In the foreground from left: Zbigniew Bartman, Bartosz Kurek, Michał Winiarski and Krzysztof Ignaczak.

Career

Clubs

Kurek began his career in a team from Nysa, where he played alongside his father. He then spent 3 years playing for a PlusLiga club, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle.
In 2008, he moved to PGE Skra Bełchatów, one of the most successful teams in the Polish PlusLiga, where he quickly became a key player. With PGE Skra he won the Polish Championship three times in 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and claimed a silver medal in 2011/2012. He won the Polish Cup three times; in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He also has two Club World Championships silver medals, from 2009 and 2010. In 2010 PGE Skra Belchatów, with Bartosz Kurek, won the bronze medal in the CEV Champions League. On March 18, 2012 PGE Skra won the CEV Champions League silver medal after losing to Zenit Kazan in the final in Łódź, Poland. Kurek received the award for Best Spiker of CEV Champions League 2011/2012.
After the season 2011/2012 he left PGE Skra Bełchatów and signed a contract with Russian club VC Dynamo Moscow; however, due to injury, he was unable to play for his new club for large part of the season.
After one season in Russia, Kurek moved to Italian club Lube Banca Macerata. In 2013/2014, the team won Scudetto in the final against Sir Safety Perugia. On October 15, 2014 Lube Banca Macerata, including Kurek, won the Italian Super Cup, beating Copra Elior Piacenza. On May 4, 2015 Kurek signed a 1+1 contract with Asseco Resovia Rzeszów. After winning a silver medal in the Polish Championship he left Resovia and signed a contract with Japanese club JT Thunders Hiroshima.
On October 2, 2016 he announced interrupting of his sporting career because of physical and mental fatigue. At the same time he terminated the contract with the Japanese club JT Thunders Hiroshima. Later Kurek moved back to his former club PGE Skra Bełchatów, starting from September 2016.
After 2 months in Polish club Stocznia Szczecin, club had a financial issues and Kurek did not receive his payment. On November 29, 2018 his contract was dissolved by both sides agreement. On December 6, 2018 he joined ONICO Warszawa as a free player after leaving from Stocznia Szczecin a few days earlier.

National team

Kurek was in the Polish squad when the Polish national team won the gold medal at the European Championship 2009. On September 14, 2009 he was awarded Knight's Cross of Polonia Restituta. The Order was conferred on the following day by the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk. On July 10, 2011 Kurek, with his national team, won the Poland's first medal in the World League. They won bronze medal after defeating Argentina. Kurek received the award for Best Scorer of the finals tournament. Next for Poland was the European Championship 2011, where they were the defending champions. Kurek was his team's key player throughout the tournament and Polish national team won a second medal in 2011 – a bronze after winning the bronze medal match against Russia. At this tournament Kurek won his second individual award in 2011, for Best Server. In November 2011, despite a back injury, Kurek went to Japan to participate in the World Cup and helped his team win silver medal and therefore qualify for the Olympic Games. On July 8, 2012 the Polish team won gold medal of the World League 2012. Kurek received the award for Most Valuable Player. Kurek was one of the key players of the Polish team at the Olympic Games London 2012, but Poland lost in the quarterfinal against Russia and was eliminated from the tournament.
In 2014 he was a member of the Polish national team during the 2015 Men's European Volleyball Championship qualification, but then did not get a chance to play in the World League. He was not included in the Polish national team's 14-player roster for the World Championship, held in Poland.
After year of break, he came back to national team on May 28, 2015 during first match of intercontinental round of World League against Russia. He was top scorer of match. In 2016, Kurek played in Olympic Games Rio.
On September 30, 2018 Poland achieved title of the 2018 World Champion. Poland beat Brazil in the finale 3-0 and defended the title from 2014. Kurek received an individual award for the Most Valuable Player.

Personal life

Bartosz Kurek was born in Wałbrzych, but raised in Nysa, Poland. His father, Adam Kurek, was also a volleyball player, winning several caps for Poland. Kurek played basketball in his early youth, but later moved to volleyball. He has a younger brother – Jakub. Kurek and his brother appeared together in a Polish TV advertisement for Zott yogurt Monte. Kurek is engaged to Anna Grejman.

Outside of volleyball

Kurek advertises as a model for companies Zott Monte and Land Rover.

Sporting achievements