Teresa Cieply

Teresa Ciepły was one of the most successful Polish sprinters and hurdlers in history. She started her athletic career in Łódź, where she also played volleyball for ŁKS. Later, she moved to Bydgoszcz and joined Zawisza. She competed in two Olympic Games, winning three medals: a gold and a silver in Tokyo 1964, and a bronze in Rome 1960, all in the 4x100 m relay and the 80 m hurdles. She also won three medals at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade: two golds in the same events and a bronze in the 100 m sprint. She set world and European records in the 4x100 m relay, and was the first Polish woman to run 100 m under 12 seconds. She was voted the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year in 1962. She retired from athletics in 1968 and worked as a clerk and a coach. She was married to Olgierd Ciepły, an Olympic hammer thrower. She died of cancer in 2006, at the age of 68. She was honored with the title of Honorary Citizen of Bydgoszcz, and a secondary school and a square in the city were named after her.