Wacław Kuchar

Wacław Michał Kuchar (16 September 1897 in Łańcut – 13 February 1981 in Warsaw) was a Polish sports champion, olympian, and multiple football, track and field and speed skating champion of the country.

Wacław Kuchar

Kuchar excelled in many sports – track and field, football (firstly – as a forward, then as a midfielder, and finally at the end of his career – as a defender), skiing, speed skating and ice hockey. Even though born in Łańcut, his whole life was connected with Lwów, where he played for Pogoń Lwów – one of the most important and most popular sports clubs of interwar Poland. After finishing his career, he became a referee, coach and sports official. To this day Kuchar is regarded as an excellent example of fair play.

In 1926, in a poll held by the Polish sports daily Przegląd Sportowy, Kuchar was chosen as the athlete of the year. A year later he came in 10th in the same poll. In 1924, at the Paris Olympic Games, he played on the Poland national football team.

Wacław Kuchar was champion of Poland in:

• 800-meter race (1920, 1921),
• 110-meter hurdle race (1920),
• 400-meter hurdle race (1923),
• high jump (1921, 1923),
• pentathlon (1923, 1924).

As a footballer representing Pogoń Lwów, Kuchar achieved these successes:

• years of career – 1912–1935,
• Champion of Poland: 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926,
• top scorer of Poland: 1922 (21 goals), 1926 (11 goals),
• altogether he played in 1052 games, scoring 1065 goals.

On the Poland national football team he achieved:

• 23 official international games,
• 5 goals,
• debut – 18 February 1921, Hungary – Poland 1–0 (it was the first, historic game of the Polish team)
• last game: 27 October 1928, Czechoslovakia – Poland 3–2
• Trainer of Polish National Team 1947–1949.

Kuchar as an ice skater:

• participated in the European Speed Skating Championships for Men of 1925,
• 22-time Champion of Poland (Including single-distance titles) in the period 1922–1929.

Kuchar is most famous for his sports achievements, but also he was a captain in the Polish Army. He participated in the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1919 as well as the Polish-Soviet War of 1920; for his merits Kuchar was decorated with several medals.