Iwona Marcinkiewicz

Lore & Background

Iwona Marcinkiewicz began her Olympic career at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where she placed 57th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 599. In the first elimination round, she faced 8th-ranked Kim Kyung-Wook of Korea and lost 157-164, finishing 33rd overall. In the team competition, alongside Joanna Nowicka and Katarzyna Klata, Poland defeated Russia 233-229, then Ukraine 242-235 in the quarterfinals. The team lost to Korea 237-245 in the semifinals but won the bronze medal by defeating Turkey 244-139.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Marcinkiewicz placed 28th in the ranking round with a score of 628. She defeated 37th-ranked Yukari Kawasaki of Japan 119-106 in the first elimination round, then lost to 5th-ranked Zhang Juanjuan of China 166-157 in the round of 32, finishing 20th individually. She also competed in the team event with Justyna Mospinek and Małgorzata Sobieraj, where Poland placed 15th.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Marcinkiewicz ranked 43rd with a 620-point ranking round. She beat 22nd seed Laishram Bombaya Devi of India 103-101 in the first round, then lost 104-103 to 11th seed Natalia Erdyniyeva in the second round. In the team event with Małgorzata Ćwienczek and Justyna Mospinek, Poland was seeded fourth after the ranking round (combined scores of 620, 645, and 643) but lost to France 218-211 in the quarterfinals; France went on to win the bronze medal.

Reader's Guide

Iwona Marcinkiewicz's Olympic career spans three Games, from 1996 to 2008, marking her as a consistent presence in Polish archery. Her most significant achievement came at her first Olympics, where she earned a bronze medal in the women's team event. That Polish team defeated Russia and Ukraine before falling to Korea in the semifinals, then secured the bronze with a decisive 244-139 victory over Turkey. Individually, Marcinkiewicz showed steady improvement in ranking round scores over her career, from 599 in 1996 to 628 in 2004, though her final placement varied. At the 2008 Games, she narrowly missed advancing further, losing by a single point to Natalia Erdyniyeva in the second round. Her team performances also evolved: after winning bronze in 1996, the Polish team placed 15th in 2004 and reached the quarterfinals in 2008, where they lost to the eventual bronze medalists France. Marcinkiewicz received the Silver Cross of Merit in 1996 for her sport achievements.

Did You Know?

• Iwona Marcinkiewicz was born as Iwona Dzięcioł on 23 May 1975 in Warsaw.
• At the 2008 Olympics, she lost to Natalia Erdyniyeva by a single point, 104-103.