Józef Szmidt is a former Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 athlete. Having German roots, he is often referred to by the Germanized name Jozef Schmidt.

Szmidt, a mechanic by profession, was the world's leading triple jump

Triple jump

The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...

er in the early 1960s, becoming European champion in 1958 and 1962, and Olympic champion in 1960 and 1964. The two latter years he was awarded the Sportsman of the Year prize in Poland. With a jump of 17,03 in 1960, Szmidt was the first triple jumper to reach 17 metres.

In 1975 Szmidt settled in West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

, but returned to Poland in 1992. He is the brother of track and field athlete Edward Szmidt, who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

.