The Groenwald family dominates logger sports in Poland. World Championship bronze medallist Szymon is now preparing for the Olympic Games.
Bronze in the team and individual events, personal bests and national records: Poland was Europe’s most successful nation at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championships 2025 in Milan. Behind this first medal win is, above all, the Groenwald family. Father Jacek (52) and his sons Mikołaj (22) and Szymon (20) characterise the team. Szymon Groenwald is also considered a great talent outside of TIMBERSPORTS®. The athlete and professional sportsman is preparing for the 2028 Olympics. In this interview, he talks about the role that sport plays in his life.
Three men in high-performance sports, including a professional athlete. How much cooking needs to be done at your house?
Szymon Groenwald: More than in normal households. That's for sure. My mother is very busy.
Logger sports or hammer throwing - which are you more passionate about?
Szymon Groenwald: I don't want to choose between them. Both require strength and precision, and one complements the other. The TIMBERSPORTS® season is over, which is why my current focus is on athletics. I am the Polish U23 champion in hammer throwing, the Olympic Games are my goal. To do this, I left my home and moved to Białystok. There I train with Joanna Fiodorow, a former world-class athlete and World and European Championship medalist. One of my training partners is Tokyo Olympic winner Wojciech Nowicki.
You are also one of the greatest talents at TIMBERSPORTS®. In Milan, you were the youngest single starter in the field.
Szymon Groenwald: I am very ambitious and train strength, endurance and mobility every day. I saw a STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship for the first time in 2015, and in 2022 I was part of the World Cup team - at the age of 17. On my 18th birthday, I became Junior World Champion and, in 2025, Polish champion for the first time in the Pros. At the World Championship in Milan, I won bronze in the team and individual events. I invest a lot of time and energy in sport.
How important is family in the background?
Szymon Groenwald: Very important. We motivate each other and train together on our farm near the Baltic Sea. I am the most ambitious out of us. My brother Mikolaj prefers to go to football. We would like him to do more logger sports training instead.
At home, I lead the training and incorporate methods from my professional athletics training. Sometimes I also end up having a row with my dad when I criticise him for doing that.
Who of you is the biggest TIMBERSPORTS® fan?
Szymon Groenwald: My father. Sport is his great passion, and he has inspired us with his enthusiasm for it. We always joke that when we were babies, we didn't have toys, but small axes. There are photos of me as a five-year-old with tools. I got my first axe when I was ten. That’s why, when I’m on stage today, hacking is probably my favourite discipline.
What are your plans for TIMBERSPORTS® 2026?
Szymon Groenwald: It won’t be easy to focus on logger sports as much as I have in previous years, alongside athletics. I have already been able to celebrate the world championship title in the Rookies, but I also want to win even more medals in the Pros - both individually and with the team. And maybe one day I can bring the first World Championship title to Europe.
