Tomasz Mendelski (born May 21, 1981 in Olsztyn

Olsztyn

Olsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship...

) is a 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...

 sprint canoer

Canoe racing

This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....

. Mendelski has represented Poland in both the K-1 200 m and 500 m, but specialises in the former discipline, the shortest race-distance. At the world championships he finished sixth (2001

2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland at Lake Malta. The Polish city had hosted the event previously in 1990....

), fourth (2002

2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Seville, Spain.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events...

) and sixth (2003

2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place....

) before finally making the podium at the 2005 worlds in Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, Croatia, where he won the silver medal.

He also won the bronze medal at the 2004 European Championships 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...

, Poland, finishing just in front of Spain's Jovino González

Jovino González

Jovino González, is a Spanish sprint canoer who competed from the mid 1990s to the early 2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he earned his best finish of fifth in the K-4 1000 m event at Atlanta in 1996.-Reference:*...

.

Mendelski also won two silver medals in the K-4 1000 m event at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, earning them in 2006 and 2007, and a bronze in the K-4 500 m event at 2006.

He also comepeted in two Summer Olympics, earning his best finish of sixth in the K-4 1000 m event at Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 in 2008

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

.

"Tomaj" is a member of the OKS Olstyn Canoe Club. He is 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) tall and weighs 88 kg (194 lbs).