The best in the country, fifth in the world
Anna Krzak, a PhD student of the Silesian University of Technology, together with Barbara Kołtun became Polish champions and took fifth place in the World Championships of the Deaf in beach volleyball.
Anna Krzak graduated from the Silesian University of Technology in 2021 from the Faculty of Chemistry (Chemical Technology, specialization in polymer and plastic technology). She is currently working as a plastic technologist. However, she did not abandon her education, because she is pursuing an implementation PhD at our University on composite materials applied in cryogenic conditions at the Silesian University of Technology. In addition, she successfully competes in a duet with Barbara Kołtun in the beach volleyball of the deaf.
– I was born as the only deaf person in the hearing family – says Anna Krzak, PhD student at the Silesian University of Technology. I probably inherited this defect from my great-grandfather, who was also deaf. My hearing loss is between 100 and 110 decibels. I almost never leave my hearing aids. Unfortunately, they only “help” to hear the sounds. My hearing loss is very deep and in fact only hard work and rehabilitation have allowed me to function. I only worry that I can’t talk on the phone, or I don’t understand conversations in a larger group.
Anna Krzak has always loved volleyball. She trained it in MKS MOS Flame Sosnowiec, and later in Spartacus Zabrze. In the end, however, she opted for beach volleyball in the sport of deaf people and this is what she is currently focusing on – with success.
In this discipline, in national and international championships, athletes are not allowed to wear hearing aids and implants so that everyone has equal opportunities. Therefore, the players often communicate using sign language, which Anna also uses, or simply read from the movement of the lips.
In the beach volleyball of the deaf, our doctoral student has been performing together with Barbara Kołtun since 2019. In order to develop the duo’s career, the girls set up a profile of “Sportsmenki” on Instagram.
And now, to their previous successes, they have added another. First, in Sulejów, they won the Polish Championships in deaf beach volleyball for the second time. This gave them a qualification for the World Championship in this discipline, which was held in Prague. After a fantastic fight, they took fifth place. This is their greatest success in their career.
- This is definitely our best result in international competitions - says a PhD student at our University. “Three years ago, in the World Championship we finished eighth, a year later in the European Championship we finished sixth. We are constantly improving our results and moving up in rankings. Most importantly, we have been qualified to participate in the XXV Summer Deaf Games, which will be held in Tokyo next November.
Their biggest rivals in this discipline are two Ukrainian couples, who took the highest places in Prague, and on the way in the quarter-finals eliminated our duo.
“Ukrainians are training almost all the time and do not have to work professionally. We have to combine playing in the national team with professional work, and I additionally carry out an implementation PhD – explains Anna Krzak. - Third place was taken by a team from Lithuania, which has many years of experience in beach volleyball, are multi-medallists and have been training together for over ten years We have been training together for less than five years I think we can do better, but we need to train harder and work on our weaknesses.
