KNAPIK-MIAZGA Renata

General
ON THE MOVE
After joining the Wisla Krakow club in Poland at age seven, she moved to AZS AWF Krakow in November 2018. "Nothing big has happened. I felt that I needed a change. In the career of a senior fencer, there is a feeling that progression is extremely necessary. I am looking for new incentives. For half a year in the back of my head I had the idea that I must change something." (gazetakrakowska.pl, 16 Nov 2018)

COACH TRIBUTE
She dedicated her gold medal at the 2020 Polish National Championships in Wroclaw to AZS AWF Krakow coach Piotr Hammer, who passed away in mid-2020. "I am very happy I managed to get this gold, I wanted to fight as best as possible for myself and for our coach, who left us quite recently. I wanted to dedicate this gold to him, so that he would be proud of my bouts and what we achieved during this whole period of working together." (radiokrakow.pl, 19 Oct 2020)

VASCULAR PROBLEM
At age 14 she was diagnosed with a vascular problem in her right arm that forced her to learn how to fence left-handed. She also switched from foil to epee during this period. "It took me two years of intensive work. My dedication paid off when I was called up to the Polish team." (knapik-miazga.pl, 23 Dec 2015)

FATHER'S INFLUENCE
She recognises the sacrifices her father made when she was young and just getting into fencing. "I owe my presence in the sport to my father. As a teenager, I lived in Tarnow but my club was in Krakow. He drove me to class three times a week, one-and-a-half hours each way. It was a big sacrifice on his part that made me realise that, although sport requires a huge commitment, it's worth making sacrifices to succeed." (knapik-miazga.pl, 23 Dec 2015)

BUSINESS OWNER
She is a founder and owner of a web design company and electronics store. She has also worked as a fencing instructor. (Facebook profile, 20 May 2019; sportowymagazyn.pl, 12 Apr 2017)