In 2000 he competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in the 94 kg category as a junior. After the snatch portion of the competition he was in third place, behind Kourosh Bagheri and Kakhi Kakhiashvili. During the clean & jerk portion of the competition he was in second place with his first lift of 222.5 kg, that brought his total to 405.0 kg which tied the total of Kakhi Kakhiashvili. He attempted a lift of 227.5 kg, but was unable to make the lift and did not take another attempt. Kakhi Kakhiashvili, due to a light bodyweight was the gold medallist, with Kołecki taking home the silver medal. The 94 kg category had a spread of only 7.5 kg separating the 6th place finisher and the gold medalist. He was unable to participate in the 2004 Olympic Games due to a failed drug test. His B samples tested positive for the banned anabolic steroidnandrolone. In 2008 he returned to the Olympics and competed in the 94 kg category at the 2008 Olympic Games. After the snatch portion of the competition he was in fourth place, behind Khadzhimurat Akkayev, Ilya Ilyin, Asghar Ebrahimi and Nizami Pashayev. In the clean & jerk portion he lifted 224 kg placing him in second place behind Ilya Ilyin's lift of 226 kg, he attempted a would-be Olympic Record lift of 228 kg but was unable to make the lift. Ilya Ilyin was the original gold medalist with Kołecki taking home the silver medal. In 2016 Ilya Ilyin was suspended due to failed samples containing Stanozolol and was disqualified from the 2008 Olympic Games, as a result Kołecki was awarded the gold medal.
Other Information
Kołecki represented team Górnik Polkowice. He is 6'1". His career was put on hold in the early 2000s, due to a serious back injury. Kołecki returned to weightlifting in late 2005, winning European Championships a few months later. He was also a member of Polish national team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, during which he claimed that his recently shaved head had a covert political message. For his sport achievements, Kołecki received:
After amassing a professional mixed martial arts record of 6–1, Kołecki was signed to KSW. He made his promotional debut against Mariusz Pudzianowski in a heavyweight bout at. Kołecki won the fight after Pudzianowski suffered a leg injury in the first round. Next, Kołecki faced Damian Janikowski at on December 7, 2019. He won the fight via a second round knockout.
