Jozef Noji

Józef Noji was born in a poor family of stolars in Pęckowo, a village in the Province of Poznań. He had to work hard from an early age to support his mother and siblings. He joined the Polish Gymnastic Society "Sokół" in 1927 and started to compete in local running events. He served in the 8th battalion of sappers in Toruń from 1929 to 1932. He became a sensation in 1934 when he won the National Cross Country Run, beating the best Polish runners. He was then recruited by the Warsaw club Legia, where he achieved his greatest successes. He represented Poland at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where he finished fifth in the 5000 m and 14th in the 10000 m events. He also placed fifth in the 5000 m at the 1938 European Championships in Paris. He won 10 Polish championships in various distances and cross country running, and twice won the English title in the 3-mile and 6-mile runs. He was twice elected to the List of 10 Best Athletes of Poland. He worked as a tram driver in Warsaw and married Irena Francuzik, with whom he had a son Ryszard. During World War II, he joined the resistance movement and was arrested by the Gestapo in 1940. He was imprisoned at Pawiak and then deported to Auschwitz, where he was shot by an SS guard in 1943 for allegedly trying to smuggle a letter. He was posthumously awarded the Cross of Valor and honored with a street and a stadium named after him.