Wacław Kuchar

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

Wacław Kuchar

Personal information
Date of birth	(1897-09-16)16 September 1897
Place of birth	Łańcut, Poland
Date of death	13 February 1981(1981-02-13) (aged 83)
Place of death	Warsaw, Poland
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1912-1935	Pogoń Lwów	198	(98)
Total		198	(98)
National team
1921-1928	Poland	23	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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.[1]

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),
• In 1923 he scored 88 goals in unofficial games,[2]
• 9 goals in a match against Rewera,
• 4 goals in 5 minutes in a match against WKS Lublin,
• 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.