Ryszard Ostrowski is a retired 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...

 middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres

800 metres

The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...

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He was born in Poznań

Poznan

Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

, and represented the club Olimpia Poznań. He won the 800 metres at the 1983 Summer Universiade

Athletics at the 1983 Summer Universiade

The Athletics Tournament at the 1983 Summer Universiade took place in the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta in July 1983, shortly before the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. New events were the men's and women's marathon.-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:* *...

 and the 1985 Summer Universiade. In 1984 he tied for the victory, together with Alberto Juantorena

Alberto Juantorena

Alberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....

, at the Friendship Games

Athletics at the Friendship Games

Athletics at the Friendship Games was contested in 41 events, 24 events by men and 17 by women. Men competed at the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Soviet Union between 17 and 18 August, while women's events took place at the Evžen Rošický Stadium in Prague, Czechoslovakia...

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He finished fifth at the 1986 European Championships, fourth at the 1986 Goodwill Games

1986 Goodwill Games

The 1986 Goodwill Games was the inaugural edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held from 5 – 20 July 1986. The main stadium was the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Soviet Union...

, and seventh at the 1987 World Championships. At the 1988 Summer Olympics

1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

 he reached the quarter-finals of the 800 metres. He competed at the 1990 European Championships without reaching the final. He became Polish champion in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987, and became Polish indoor champion in 1991 and 1994.

His personal best time was 1:44.38 minutes, achieved in September 1985 in Kobe

Kobe

, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

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