Dominik Buksak aims to become Poland’s next national hero

The Pole will have Szymon Wierzbicki for company in the 49er class in Marseille as the pair, who first joined forces in 2015, make their bow on the biggest stage of all.

They are looking to add to the five Olympic medals won by Polish sailors, the most recent of which was earned by Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Jolanta Ogar in Tokyo, and have a string of impressive results to call upon in this cycle.

Buksak is not getting ahead of himself – and whatever happens, he will be realising a dream that started aged seven…

Sporty Childhood

Buksak was introduced to sailing by his father, a keen sailor himself, and perhaps it helped that he learned his trade in an illustrious location.

He grew up on the waters of Gdynia, which will host the 2027 World Championships as part of the new split format in a culmination of its centenary celebrations as ‘Poland’s window to the world’.

Despite the scenic sailing surroundings, there was plenty of competition for a young Buksak’s sporting affection.

“It was mostly sailing but I was very sporty,” he said. “I played a lot of football, cycling, skiing, whatever I could.

“I enjoyed all of them, all my free time was spent on the pitch or playing a sport of some kind.

“With football, it was mostly with my friends, but when we played against some players who were training in academies, I always felt maybe I could be quite good at it.

“I always wonder how my career in football would have gone. It would have been pretty different.

“From aged 14 or 15, though, my dream was to continue sailing and go to an Olympics one day. I tried to sail as much as I could and it came together quite naturally.”

 

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Taste of Rio ‘A Turning Point’

The partnership between Buksak and Wierzbicki began at the 2015 Junior World Championships. Neither of their usual partners were competing, so they decided to team up – and the rest, as they say, is history.

“We are both quite ambitious and we have high levels of determination,” he said.

“Despite some challenges we’ve faced along the way, we just keep going.

“Off the water, we are quite different. Szymon doesn’t talk that much, I am the one who is pretty chatty and emotional, he is more of a calm person. I think we complement each other in that respect.”

The first insight the pair received into sailing at Olympic level came prior to Rio 2016, when they took part in pre-Games regattas.

“Being in Rio was a special moment for me,” Buksak said. “It was our first time sailing in another continent and we were quite young at the time, so we were able to train with those training before the Rio Games.

“It was a special moment and a bit of a turning point in our career. After that, we were invited to the main squad in Poland and we were able to proceed from there.”

Taking Stoch

In 2018, Buksak and Wierzbicki won the first of their two European Championship silver medals, which fittingly arrived on home waters in Gdynia.

Another followed in Vilamoura last November, while they also occupied the second spot on the podium at the Semaine Olympique Francaise in Hyeres earlier this year.

Such outcomes have given them confidence but Buksak is not getting ahead of himself going into his Olympic bow.

“We are not setting any specific goals in terms of results,” he said. “There are people who have World Championship medals, we do not have any.

“We have showed in the past that we can compete with these guys so even though we are not favourites, anything can happen.

“We will go into the event with a relaxed mindset and try to sail well, then we’ll see what comes.”

If they do upset the odds and medal, Buksak will be following in the footsteps of compatriots he idolised growing up.

“I spent many hours watching the Olympics when I was younger,” he said.

“I also have strong memories of the Winter Olympics and Polish athletes winning medals there, that was special for me. I remember watching Justyna Kowalczyk, who won a gold medal with a broken foot in cross-country skiing, and Kamil Stoch, who won three ski jumping gold medals.

“He was a real role model. I was always impressed with his mindset and how humble he is, as well as the level he reached.”

Buksak and Wierzbicki are currently undergoing their final preparations, with the unique challenges of Marseille expected to pose plenty of questions.

“We can expect a very wide range of conditions in terms of the wind,” he said.

“Marseille can deliver very different conditions day to day, which makes it quite fun. Every day you face something different and you have to find solutions – hopefully we can.”