Eight medals, three European runners-up and a warm welcome home: Poland’s young boxing team has returned from the European U17 Championships in Montenegro with an impressive collection of international honours.
The competition concluded in Budva on Sunday, 11 October 2026, with Polish athletes collecting three silver and five bronze medals across eight weight categories.
Aleksandra Lipniak, Agnieszka Paprocka and Oliwier Piotrowski all reached their respective finals, finishing as European runners-up after competing for gold.
- Find more news from Poland on our Homepage .
Five teammates — Piotr Dwojacki, Dominik Adamski, Adrianna Szafarz, Nadia Kościółek and Amelia Stępień — completed Poland’s eight-medal haul with bronze.
The results were confirmed by the Polish Boxing Association, which also reported the team’s return to Poland on 12 October.
Three Polish boxers reach the European finals
The championship’s final day brought three opportunities for Poland to secure gold.
Aleksandra Lipniak, representing Sporty Walki Piła, competed in the women’s 48 kg final against Elizaveta Taratynova of Russia.
Lipniak was defeated by a unanimous 5–0 judges’ decision, earning the European silver medal.
Agnieszka Paprocka of PACO Lublin also reached the final in the women’s 75 kg category. She faced Turkey’s Ece Buruk Masal, who won their contest by the same 5–0 decision.
For Poland’s third finalist, the contest was particularly dramatic.
Oliwier Piotrowski, representing Concordia Knurów, faced Ireland’s Paddy Nevin in the men’s 70 kg final.
Piotrowski made a promising start. After the opening round, four of the five judges had scored the contest in his favour.
But Nevin recovered strongly, winning the remaining two rounds on every judge’s scorecard.
Piotrowski also received a warning that resulted in a point deduction, and the Irish boxer ultimately won by unanimous decision.
Although gold remained out of reach, Piotrowski completed the tournament as a European silver medallist.
Together, the three finalists accounted for Poland’s silver medals.
Five more athletes make the podium
The team’s success extended well beyond its three finalists.
Five other Polish competitors reached the semi-finals of their respective categories, securing bronze medals.
In the men’s competition, Piotr Dwojacki of Boxing Club Iława claimed bronze at 50 kg, while Dominik Adamski of Olimpijczyk Ozorków earned bronze at 54 kg.
Three Polish female boxers also finished on the podium.
Adrianna Szafarz of Boxing Radom secured bronze in the 52 kg category. Nadia Kościółek, representing Taurus Goleniów, claimed bronze at 57 kg, and Amelia Stępień of Nokaut Radomsko completed the medal collection at 80 kg.
The eight medal winners represent clubs from across Poland, illustrating the contribution of local boxing programmes to the national youth teams.
In total, five of Poland’s medals came from female competitors and three from male competitors.
The event brought together boxers from across Europe. According to specialist boxing results published after the championships, 473 athletes from 40 countries participated, competing across 26 weight categories.
Poland finished with eight medals but no golds. Under the conventional gold-first medal-table system, the country placed 15th overall.
Medals, smiles and a welcome at Gdańsk Airport
On Monday, 12 October, the Polish squad arrived back in Gdańsk, where supporters and members of the boxing community gathered to welcome the young athletes.
The Polish Boxing Association reported that the reception took place at 11:00, with medal winners, coaches and supporters celebrating the team’s achievements.
The homecoming also recognised the coaching staff behind the results.
The boys’ team was led by head coach Cezary Rzepnicki, assisted by Andrii Bondarchuk and Patryk Tkaczyk.
The girls’ team worked under head coach Przemysław Leniec, supported by Łukasz Michalczewski and Mateusz Zasada.
For the eight medal winners, the results represent an important achievement at an early stage of their sporting careers.
The European U17 Championships are a youth competition, separate from the senior European Boxing Championships. Success at this level does not guarantee future senior medals, but it provides valuable experience against international opponents.
Poland’s team returned without a European champion, yet with eight athletes who had reached the continental podium.
And for three of them, the journey went all the way to the final bell of a European title contest.
