Józef Lipień, Olympic silver medallist from the 1980 Moscow Games and world wrestling champion, has died. He was 77 years old; the authorities of Dębica announced his death on Sunday, 25 October.
Who was Józef Lipień
Józef Lipień was born on 6 February 1949 in Jaczków, near Kamienna Góra in Lower Silesia. He competed in Greco-Roman wrestling. As described by the Podkarpacka Historia portal, in 1965–1967 he represented Karkonosze Jelenia Góra, and later moved with his brother to Wisłoka Dębica, one of the strongest wrestling sections in the country at the time.
His twin brother Kazimierz, older by a few minutes, became Olympic champion at Montreal (1976). The brothers formed one of the most famous sporting duos in Polish history.
Career and greatest successes
Lipień competed at four Olympic Games: in 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980. At the last of these, held in Moscow, he won a silver medal. In 1973 he became world champion in Tehran, where his brother Kazimierz also won gold.
According to Debica.tv, he was twice world championship runner-up and won a bronze medal at the European Championships. Polish Radio Rzeszów reports that he was Polish champion eight times.
After ending his competitive career he became a coach. He worked, among others, with Wisłoka Dębica, and also outside Poland.
Cause of death
Neither the authorities of Dębica nor the Polish Wrestling Federation have disclosed the cause of death or the date of the funeral. The family has not issued a statement on the matter.
Tributes
The news was announced by the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre (MOSiR) and the Dębica City Hall. In a statement, the city wrote that a man „whose sporting achievements have permanently entered the history of Polish Olympism” had passed away, and offered condolences to the family.
The Polish Wrestling Federation bade farewell to him as „an outstanding athlete, Olympian, world champion, coach and person who permanently left his mark on the history of Polish wrestling”. This is quoted by TVP Info.
In 2024, which was declared in Dębica the Year of the Brothers Kazimierz and Józef Lipień, the wrestler took part in a meeting at the city library, as Debica.tv recalls.
What it means
For wrestling fans and residents of Dębica, this is the loss of a figure from the best era of the local Wisłoka club. Details of the farewell, including the funeral date, have not yet been announced.
