Antoni Czortek
Encyclopedia
Antoni "Kajtek" Czortek was a Polish
boxing champion, one of the Polish legends of this sport. Czortek was a 1939 silver medalist of Amateur Championships of Europe
, multiple champion of Poland and participant of the 1936 Olympic Games
in Berlin
. He is also remembered due to his heroic struggle for life in the Auschwitz concentration camp
.
(German: Graudenz), then part of the German Empire
. He started his career in the local club GKS Grudziądz, but soon afterwards, his talent was noticed in Warsaw
. He moved to the capital of Poland and represented the team of Skoda Warszawa
(team's name was in 1936 changed into Okęcie Warszawa
). Finally, after World War II
, he settled in Radom
, where he fought for Radomiak Radom
, and then become a successful coach.
His name was known to all boxing fans in Poland in the 1930s and late 1940s, as he participated in 23 official international boxing matches, out of which he won eighteen fights, lost four and tied one. In 1936 he took part in the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, in the bantamweight
class. In the first round he beat French
boxer Bonnet, but in the second round he lost to South African fighter Hannan.
Czortek was much more successful during the 1937 European Amateur Boxing Championships
. That year, in Milan
, Italy
, he was fourth in the bantamweight, losing to the future champion, Anton Osca from Romania
. Two years later, during the 1939 European Amateur Boxing Championships
in Dublin, he won silver, after beating Koebi from Estonia
and Genot from Belgium
. In the final fight, Czortek lost to Patrick Dowdall from Ireland
.
In the 1930s Czortek was a top boxer in his homeland, winning his first gold at the age of nineteen, in 1934 in Poznań
. He was a champion of Poland three times in the interwar period (1934, 1938, 1939) (he would also win a national championships in 1949, after the war); he had numerous silver and bronze medals (he was second in the Polish championships in 1935 and 1948, and third in 1936).
. After Poland’s defeat, he returned to Warsaw
, and hid there, using the name Antoni Kamiński.
The Gestapo
was feverishly looking for him, and after some time, the boxer had to leave the city and stay in the countryside near Grójec
, with his wife’s family. Shot in the leg by a German patrol (from then on he limped until death), Czortek was recognized and sent to Auschwitz. His heroic struggle for survival is still remembered in Poland. Czortek, who had the number 139559, was forced by the SS guards to participate in boxing matches. Altogether, he took part in fifteen fights, most of them with much heavier inmates, and an SS trooper named Walter. The last fight was crucial, as in case of defeat, the Germans pledged to kill him. Some time in 1944 he was transferred to Mauthausen-Gusen, and in the spring of 1945 was freed by the Soviet Union
.
, he left the capital and moved to Radom
.
As he later told reporters, he was too ashamed to stay in Warsaw after his unexpected loss, and gladly accepted the offer from Radom. His wife was a native of Warsaw and did not want to move, but they were promised a two-bedroom apartment and she relented.
Czortek fought until 1949, winning the Polish national championship. He then became a coach in Radom, teaching amongst others the Olympic champion Kazimierz Pazdzior
. Czortek was a well-respected person, being made an honorary citizen of Radom, and was frequently invited to galas and banquets.
He died on January 15, 2003, in Radom, and was buried at a local cemetery.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
boxing champion, one of the Polish legends of this sport. Czortek was a 1939 silver medalist of Amateur Championships of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, multiple champion of Poland and participant of the 1936 Olympic Games
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He is also remembered due to his heroic struggle for life in the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
.
Early years
Czortek was born on July 2, 1915, in GrudziądzGrudziadz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
(German: Graudenz), then part of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. He started his career in the local club GKS Grudziądz, but soon afterwards, his talent was noticed in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He moved to the capital of Poland and represented the team of Skoda Warszawa
Okecie Warszawa
Okęcie Warszawa is a Polish sports club from the Okęcie neighbourhood of Warsaw. Founded in 1929 as Skoda Warszawa, its name was changed into Okęcie in 1936. The club is located at 1 Radarowa Street in Warsaw...
(team's name was in 1936 changed into Okęcie Warszawa
Okecie Warszawa
Okęcie Warszawa is a Polish sports club from the Okęcie neighbourhood of Warsaw. Founded in 1929 as Skoda Warszawa, its name was changed into Okęcie in 1936. The club is located at 1 Radarowa Street in Warsaw...
). Finally, after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he settled in Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
, where he fought for Radomiak Radom
Radomiak Radom
RKS Radomiak Radom is a Polish football club based in Radom, Poland.It was founded in 1910.It achieved 2nd place in the 3rd division in season 2003/2004 and was promoted to the 2nd division in season 2004/2005...
, and then become a successful coach.
His name was known to all boxing fans in Poland in the 1930s and late 1940s, as he participated in 23 official international boxing matches, out of which he won eighteen fights, lost four and tied one. In 1936 he took part in the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, in the bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
class. In the first round he beat French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
boxer Bonnet, but in the second round he lost to South African fighter Hannan.
Czortek was much more successful during the 1937 European Amateur Boxing Championships
1937 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The 1937 European Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Milan, Italy from 5 to 9 May. It was the 5th edition of the competition, organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA. There were 85 fighters from 16 countries participating....
. That year, in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, he was fourth in the bantamweight, losing to the future champion, Anton Osca from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Two years later, during the 1939 European Amateur Boxing Championships
1939 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The 1939 European Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Dublin, Ireland from 18 to 22 April. It was the 6th edition of the bi-annual competition was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA. There were 71 fighters from 12 countries participating.- Medal winners :-Medal...
in Dublin, he won silver, after beating Koebi from Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Genot from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In the final fight, Czortek lost to Patrick Dowdall from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
In the 1930s Czortek was a top boxer in his homeland, winning his first gold at the age of nineteen, in 1934 in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
. He was a champion of Poland three times in the interwar period (1934, 1938, 1939) (he would also win a national championships in 1949, after the war); he had numerous silver and bronze medals (he was second in the Polish championships in 1935 and 1948, and third in 1936).
Fighting for his life in Auschwitz
During the Polish September Campaign, Czortek fought together with his division near the border town of WieluńWielun
Wieluń is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship .- History :...
. After Poland’s defeat, he returned to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, and hid there, using the name Antoni Kamiński.
The Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
was feverishly looking for him, and after some time, the boxer had to leave the city and stay in the countryside near Grójec
Grójec
Grójec is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Warsaw, it is the capital of Grójec County. It has about 14,875 inhabitants . Grójec surroundings are considered to be the biggest apple-growing area of Poland. It is said, that the region makes up also for...
, with his wife’s family. Shot in the leg by a German patrol (from then on he limped until death), Czortek was recognized and sent to Auschwitz. His heroic struggle for survival is still remembered in Poland. Czortek, who had the number 139559, was forced by the SS guards to participate in boxing matches. Altogether, he took part in fifteen fights, most of them with much heavier inmates, and an SS trooper named Walter. The last fight was crucial, as in case of defeat, the Germans pledged to kill him. Some time in 1944 he was transferred to Mauthausen-Gusen, and in the spring of 1945 was freed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
After the war
Upon returning to Poland, Czortek settled back in Warsaw, but in 1947, after losing a fight to an unknown boxer from CzęstochowaCzestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
, he left the capital and moved to Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
.
As he later told reporters, he was too ashamed to stay in Warsaw after his unexpected loss, and gladly accepted the offer from Radom. His wife was a native of Warsaw and did not want to move, but they were promised a two-bedroom apartment and she relented.
Czortek fought until 1949, winning the Polish national championship. He then became a coach in Radom, teaching amongst others the Olympic champion Kazimierz Pazdzior
Kazimierz Pazdzior
Kazimierz Paździor was a boxer from Poland, who competed in the Lightweight division during his career as an amateur....
. Czortek was a well-respected person, being made an honorary citizen of Radom, and was frequently invited to galas and banquets.
He died on January 15, 2003, in Radom, and was buried at a local cemetery.