Ryszard Bosek – Polish volleyball player, manager and activist, 1974 World Champion and gold medallist of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

Sporting career

Ryszak Bosek played for Błękitni Wołomin, Mazowsze Zegrze, AZS Warszawa (1968−1972) and Płomień Milowice (19731980), as well as Petrarca and Thermomec − Italian clubs from Padua.

He won the Polish Championship twice with Płomień Milowice (in 1977 and 1979), securing the second place three times − in 1970 (AZS Warszawa) and in 1975 and 1976 (Płomień Miłowice), and winning bronze in 1972 (AZS Warszawa) and 1974 (Płomień Milowice). In 1978, his team Płomień Milowice won the CEV Champions League Cup. The next season, the team came in third.

He also earned three silver medals in the European Championship in Belgrade (1975), Helsinki (1977) and Paris (1979).

Ryszard Bosek participated in three Olympic Games, securing 9th place in Munich in 1972, gold medal in Montreal in 1976 and 4th place in Moscow in 1980.

He was a member of the team which took the World Champion title in Mexico in 1974. In 1970, he played in the final round of the World Championship in Sofia, finishing in 5th place, and in Rome, where his team ranked 8th.

He was selected for the national team 359 times (1969−1986), was named the best Polish volleyball player in the Przegląd Sportowy ranking of 1971, and was considered the best receiver in the world.

Coaching career

Once he retired as an active player, he started coaching in Padua, Milowice, Częstochowa (with Stanisław Gościniak), where his team AZS took the title of Polish Champion in 1990. In 2000−2001, he coached the Polish national team. In 2006 and in early 2007, he worked for KS Jastrzębski Węgiel. Currently, he serves as a Sports Director in AZS Częstochowa. He received three golden and two silver Medals for Outstanding Sporting Performance and the Golden Cross of Merit. In 2008, he was named Man of the Year in the Volleyball Pluses Poll.