Rising US sprint star Sam Blaskowski seeks to switch allegiance to Poland

Sam Blaskowski, a rising US sprinter, has declared his intention to represent Poland, the country of his ancestors. With a personal-best 100 metres sprint time of 9.89 seconds, Blaskowski is more than a tenth of a second faster than the current Polish national record. The 23-year-old told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport that he plans to make Poland the finest sprinting nation in the world and win medals for them.

Blaskowski's last name is Polish, but he only recently learned about his roots after his parents and he discussed the matter. His ancestors, Franciszek and Julian, left Poland in 1905 when it was still partitioned between Germany, Austria, and Russia. Polish 100m record holder Marian Woronin holds the current record with a time of 10.00 in 1984.

Piotr Maruszewski, coach of the Polish sprint team, contacted Blaskowski after his impressive time in May. Maruszewski has been helping Blaskowski apply for citizenship, which includes hiring lawyers to obtain documents proving his heritage. Under Polish law, people with a Polish parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent born in or living in Poland after January 1920 are regarded as holding Polish citizenship.

However, Blaskowski's ancestry may not be enough to qualify, but it could still help him convince Poland's president, Karol Nawrocki, who has discretion to grant citizenship to anyone he wishes.

Blaskowski's plan to represent Poland is not without precedent. Last year, Poland granted citizenship to Vladimir Semirunniy, a Russian speed skater who fled to Poland. Semirunniy now represents the Polish national team, including at the 2026 Winter Olympics where he won a silver medal. Blaskowski is expected to be able to represent Poland at next year's World Championships in Beijing and has already competed in Chorzów, Poland's biggest annual athletics event.