Janusz Kusociński was one of the most popular sportsmen of the Second Polish Republic, an Olympic champion in the 10 km run, a soldier in the September campaign, and an underground activist.
Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński was born on January 15, 1907 in Warsaw. He grew up in a family with many children in Ołtarzew near Warsaw. His father, Klemens, was a railroad clerk and also ran a farm. Two of Janusz Kusociński’s brothers died on the front: Zygmunt during World War I, and Tadeusz during the Polish-Bolshevik war. Kusociński attended the State Secondary School of Horticulture, from which he graduated in 1928. He passed his secondary school-leaving examination in absentia, and then graduated from the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw.
Janusz Kusociński showed great interest in sport as a child. He played rounders and football, and wanted to become a footballer. He has been a member of many amateur football teams. In 1925, he joined the Workers’ Sports Club „Sarmata”, where he began training football. It was in the „Sarmata” club that he received his famous nickname „Kusy” from his friends.
He started his adventure with athletics by accident: due to the lack of one competitor, he was offered to start in the relay race. During this competition, his team won. The victories in the next competitions and the trip to the Workers’ Games in Prague in 1927 made Janusz Kusociński seriously think about becoming involved in running sports. In 1929, he moved from „Sarmata” to KS „Warszawianka” and was associated with this club until 1939.
He broke Polish records many times and was a champion in medium and long distances. He has twice beaten the best results in the world in 3,000 metres and 4 miles runs. Janusz Kusociński’s greatest success was winning the gold medal in the 10 km run at the 10th Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1932. After this success, the athlete became one of the Poles’ favourites.
The outbreak of World War II interrupted Kusociński’s sports plans. The athlete volunteered for the Polish army, he fought as a corporal in the machine gun company of the 2nd battalion of the 360th Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Cross of the Brave for his participation in the fights in defence of Warsaw, during which he was wounded twice.
After the capitulation, he stayed in Warsaw, where he started working as a waiter at the „Pod kogutem” bar on Jasna Street. It was a place where Warsaw sportsmen gathered. Janusz Kusociński immediately began his underground activity, distributing secret and illegal press in his workplace. During this period, he used the pseudonym „Prawdzic”. Janusz Kusociński was arrested by the Gestapo on March 28, 1940, at the gate of the house where he lived, at ul. Nowakowskiego 16.
Initially, he was placed in the Mokotów prison and was then moved to the Gestapo headquarters at al. Szucha 25. He was tortured during the interrogations. Janusz Kusociński was murdered by the Germans a few months later. On June 20 or 21, 1940, along with other prisoners, he was taken from Warsaw to the area of the Kampinos Forest, near Palmiry. He died during one of the mass executions of representatives of the Polish intelligentsia carried out as part of Operation AB, i.e. Of the Emergency Pacification Action (Außerordentliche Befriedungsaktion – AB).
It is worth remembering that as a result of executions carried out in Palmiry in the period from December 1939 to July 1941, the Germans murdered over 1,700 Polish citizens, including Jews.
Source and image: IPN
Descriptions: Łukasz Kasza
Translation: Sébastien Meuwissen
