Tomasz Fornal Explained

Tomasz Fornal
Birth Date:31 August 1997
Birth Place:Kraków, Poland
Height:2.00 m
Weight:92 kg
Spike:348 cm
Position:Outside hitter
Currentclub:Jastrzębski Węgiel
Currentnumber:21
Years:2016–2019
2019–
Teams:Czarni Radom
Jastrzębski Węgiel
Nationalyears:2018–

Tomasz Fornal (Polish pronunciation: ; born 31 August 1997) is a Polish professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for Jastrzębski Węgiel and the Poland national team. Fornal won silver medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2022 World Championship as well as the 2021 Polish Champion title with Jastrzębski Węgiel.[1]

Career

Junior career

He started playing volleyball at the 22 UKS (Students' Sport Club) run by the Elementary School No. 155 in Kraków. He then represented Hutnik Dobry Wynik volleyball club while attending Junior High School No. 46 in Kraków. He subsequently entered the youth squad of PGE Skra Bełchatów and won bronze medal at the Polish Junior Championships with the team.[2]

Senior career

In 2016, he made his debut in PlusLiga, Poland's highest level professional volleyball league, by joining Czarni Radom.[3] In 2019, he changed his club and joined Jastrzębski Węgiel[4] with which he won the 2021 Polish Championship[5] and the 2022 Polish SuperCup.[6] In 2023, he won silver medal with Jastrzębski Węgiel in the 2022–23 CEV Champions League losing to ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle in the first ever all-Polish Champions League final.[7]

National team

On 12 April 2015, the Poland, including Fornal, won the U19 European Champions title. They beat Italy in the final (3–1).[8] [9] He took part in the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival, and on 1 August 2015 won the tournament after beating Bulgaria in the final (3–0). On 23 August 2015, Poland won their first title of the U19 World Champions. In the final his team beat hosts – Argentina (3–2).[10]

On 10 September 2016, he won the U20 European Champion title after winning 7 of 7 matches at the tournament, and beating Ukraine in the final (3–1).[11] On 2 July 2017, Poland, including Fornal, won the U21 World Champions title after beating Cuba in the final (3–0).[12] [13] His national team won 47 matches in the row and never lost.[14]

In 2022, he won a bronze medal with the national team at the 2022 Nations League held in Bologna, Italy.[15] [16] The same year, he won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championship jointly held in Poland and Slovenia, losing in the final to Italy (1–3).[17] [18]

In July 2023, he won a gold medal with his national team at the 2023 Nations League, defeating United States 3–1 in the final.[19] In September 2023, he won a gold medal at the 2023 European Championship, defeating the reigning World Champions Italy in the final (3–0).[20]

In August 2024, he won the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.[21]

Personal life

His father, Marek, is a former volleyball player, a two–time Polish Champion (1988, 1989) with Hutnik Nowa Huta while his mother, Dorota, is a PE teacher. He has an older brother, Jan.[22] [23] [24]

In 2024, he was involved in the 32nd edition of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. The winner of the charity auction was given an opportunity to go to Jastrzębie-Zdrój and take part in a training session with his team as well as go for a dinner with the player.[25]

Honours

Club

Youth national team

Individual awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fantastic Italy regain world title after 24 years . volleyballworld.com . 11 September 2022 . 14 September 2022.
  2. Web site: Tomasz Fornal w Jastrzębskim Węglu . pl . 29 September 2022.
  3. Web site: Tomasz Fornal zawodnikiem Czarnych Radom! . pl . 1 October 2022.
  4. Web site: Tomasz Fornal w Jastrzębskim Węglu . pl . 1 October 2022.
  5. Web site: Tomasz Fornal po zdobyciu mistrzostwa Polski: Możemy być potęgą na lata . pl . 1 October 2022.
  6. Web site: Siatkarze z Jastrzębia zgarnęli Superpuchar. Tomasz Fornal MVP . pl . 1 October 2022.
  7. Web site: Volleyball: Poland’s Zaksa win Champions League in all-Polish final . polskieradio.pl . 21 May 2023 . 21 May 2023.
  8. Web site: ME kadetów: Ogromny sukces reprezentacji Polski! Jest złoto! . sportowefakty.wp.pl . pl . 12 April 2015 . 15 September 2020.
  9. Web site: Poland crown fabulous campaign with gold, Italy and Turkey complete podium . . 12 April 2015 . 15 September 2020.
  10. Web site: History rewritten for Poland as they grab first ever Boys’ U19 gold medal . fivb.com . 24 August 2015 . 15 September 2020.
  11. Web site: Poland triumph with U20 European gold in Plovdiv . . 10 September 2016 . 15 September 2020.
  12. Web site: Poland shut out Cuba to triumph with U21 World Championship gold! . fivb.com . 2 July 2017 . 15 September 2020.
  13. Web site: Great generation of Polish players celebrate time together with U21 world title . fivb.com . 2 July 2017 . 15 September 2020.
  14. Web site: 47 games without losing! I am so proud of these boys – coach Pawlik . fivb.com . 2 July 2017 . 15 September 2020.
  15. Web site: Volleyball: Poles win bronze in Nations League . 2 October 2022.
  16. Web site: Totalna demolka. Tomasz Fornal odmienił mecz . pl . 2 October 2022.
  17. Web site: PM meets Poland’s silver-winning volleyball team . 2 October 2022.
  18. Web site: Tomasz Fornal zdradził, jak siatkarze spędzili wieczór po finale mistrzostw świata. Wspaniałe słowa przyjmującego na temat Bartosza Kurka . pl . 2 October 2022.
  19. Web site: Good work lads! Men’s volleyball team WINS the VNL tournament for first time . thefirstnews.com . Alex Webber . 24 July 2023 . 30 July 2023.
  20. Web site: Poland Clinches Gold in 2023 European Volleyball Championship . instavolley.com . 17 September 2023 . 20 September 2023.
  21. Web site: Poland claim Olympic silver in men's volleyball . polskieradio.pl . 10 August 2024.
  22. Web site: Po latach Fornal znowu w Czarnych. Kiedyś grał Marek, teraz zagra Tomasz . echodnia.eu . pl . 25 August 2016 . 15 September 2020.
  23. Web site: Jan Fornal. Przez Kraków do ekstraklasy . dziennikpolski24.pl . pl . 26 November 2015 . 15 September 2020.
  24. Web site: Wielu nie da wiary, czym zajmuje się mama Tomasza Fornala. Takim zawodem może pochwalić się Dorota Fornal, ma ważną rolę . pl . sport.se.pl . Waldemar Kowalski . 27 February 2024 . 9 April 2024.
  25. Web site: Polska siatkówka gra z Wielką Orkiestrą Świątecznej Pomocy! . pl . siatka.org . 25 January 2024 . 9 April 2024.
  26. Web site: Rywal zmiażdżony, tytuł zdobyty! Jastrzębski Węgiel mistrzem Polski . Przegląd Sportowy . pl . 10 May 2023 . 11 May 2023.
  27. Web site: Za nami Gala Polskiej Ligi Siatkówki. Tomasz Fornal wybrany najlepszym siatkarzem sezonu . pl . TVP Sport . Maciej Ławrynowicz . 23 May 2023 . 24 May 2023.