Andy Drzewiecki (born Andrzej Drzewiecki November 9, 1947) is a former athlete, weightlifter and strongman

Strongman (strength athlete)

In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...

 from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. He won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....

 in 1978 in the heavyweight class of the weightlifting. He also competed at the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. In 1979 he competed in the first ever Britain's Strongest Man

Britain's Strongest Man

Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man"...

, won by Geoff Capes

Geoff Capes

Geoffrey Lewis Capes is a former athlete, strongman and professional Highland Games competitor...

, and came third in that event in 1981. Prior to that he had also competed successful at a national level in various field athletic events.

Sport

As a younger sportsman, he was a nationally renowned field athlete. He won the AAA Midland Counties discus championship in 1968 and 1969 and in 1973 won the shotput at the same championships. In the mid-seventies he shifted his focus to weightlifting and eventually won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....

 in 1978 in the heavyweight class. He also competed at the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow coming tenth. In 1979 he competed in the first ever Britain's Strongest Man

Britain's Strongest Man

Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man"...

, won by Geoff Capes

Geoff Capes

Geoffrey Lewis Capes is a former athlete, strongman and professional Highland Games competitor...

, and came third in that event in 1981.

Life outside sport

Andy Drzewiecki became a teacher. He was a subject of a unfair dismissal in 2007 the scale of which was such that it was reported on nationally by the BBC and other media. Having sent and then escorted a classroom bully to the head teacher of his primary school, the pupil alleged that he had used excessive force. Drzewiecki was ordered home from St Mary's Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent immediately. A police investigation was dropped, but Mr Drzewiecki was sacked six months later in June 2007, following a disciplinary hearing. A subsequent employment tribunal, after five day days of hearings, ruled that Mr Drzewiecki's dismissal had been "thoroughly unfair". Drzewiecki won compensation, but later said the incident made it "extremely difficult for him to work again as a primary teacher."