SMOLEN Michal

General
FINDING THE FUN
In 2021 he spoke about how he has learned the importance of enjoying the sport as he has gained experience. "I think when you're young and ambitious, you're really excited and you're looking forward to it and you're really motivated by training, but when you do it for 10 or more years, everything just sort of can become a chore and you forget to have fun and that really can make you struggle. And I think finding that thing that helps you have fun out there on the water is really important after doing it for so many years. Just having people tell me that, 'It's just kayaking and it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things'. It's one thing to have goals and then chase after them, but if you're not really enjoying it, there's really no point. So you've really got to find what makes it fun for you and just keep doing that every day." (teamusa.org, 13 Apr 2021)

FROM POLAND TO THE UNITED STATES
Born in Krakow, Poland, he moved to the United States of America with his family at age nine when his father was appointed coach of Nantahala Racing Club in North Carolina. Despite finishing second at the 2012 US Olympic Trials, he was unable to take part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London because he was not yet a US citizen. He was granted US citizenship in February 2013. During his citizenship troubles, he considered competing for Poland, but ultimately decided against the idea. "We decided that it was not a good idea. I didn't really want to move back to Poland and represent a country that I didn't grow up in. I just wanted to represent the country that represented me." (canoekayak.com, 16 Sep 2014; teamusa.org, 05 Apr 2016)

MEDICAL CONDITION
At age 13 he was diagnosed with epilepsy. "When it first started happening, I wasn't going kayaking much because I was scared and I didn't want that to cause some problems in my life." However, doctors advised him it was safe to resume training as the seizures only occurred when he was asleep. "To this day, I have to take medication and periodical brain scans. Fortunately, my type of epilepsy is less severe than other kinds and the doctors have always told me that it is common to grow out of this condition." (michalsmolen.com, 15 May 2015; teamusa.org, 05 Apr 2016)