Bartosz Kurek

Bartosz Kamil Kurek (born 29 August 1988) is a Polish professional volleyball player who plays as an opposite spiker for Tokyo Great Bears and captains the Poland national team. Kurek took part in 4 Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024) winning silver medal in Paris. He also won the 2018 World Champion title, as well as the 2009 and the 2023 European Champion titles. In 2019, he became the first ever volleyball player to be voted the Polish Sports Personality of the Year.

Personal life

Kurek was born in Wałbrzych, but raised in Nysa. His father, Adam Kurek, was also a volleyball player. Kurek played basketball in his early youth, but later decided to choose volleyball. He has a younger brother – Jakub. Kurek is married to Anna Grejman, former volleyball player.

Career

Club

Kurek began his career in a team from Nysa (2004–2005), where he played alongside his father. He spent the next 3 years playing for a PlusLiga club, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle (2005–2008).

In 2008, he moved to PGE Skra Bełchatów, one of the most successful teams in PlusLiga, where he quickly became a key player. With Skra, he won the Polish Championship three times: in 2009, 2010 and 2011. On the international stage, he won two Club World Championship silver medals, in 2009 and 2010, and a bronze medal of the CEV Champions League in 2010. On 18 March 2012, they won a silver medal of the CEV Champions League after losing to Zenit Kazan in the final held in Łódź, Poland. Kurek received an individual award for the Best spiker of the tournament.

After the 2011–12 PlusLiga season, Kurek left PGE Skra Bełchatów, and signed a contract with the Russian team, Dynamo Moscow, however, due to injury, he was unable to play for his new team for a large part of the season.