Adam Sandurski, an Olympic freestyle wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Games, died Feb. 21, 2026. He was 73. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Sandurski was nicknamed the “Giant from Rzeszów” (“Olbrzym z Rzeszowa”) because of his size, reported as 214 centimeters tall and about 130 kilograms. He started wrestling relatively late, around age 20, after coach Jan Małek noticed his talent and developed training adapted to his physique. His signature technique was described as the “walizka” hold, a head-and-leg tie.
He competed at the Olympics in 1980 and again in 1988. Beyond the Olympics, Sandurski won a World Championship bronze medal in 1981 and followed with World Championship silver medals in 1982 and 1983. He also won a European Championship silver medal in 1984, along with multiple European Championship bronze medals from 1979 to 1982 and in 1986.
In later years, Sandurski lived in Germany. He also appeared in films, including W starym dworku, czyli niepodległość trójkątów and Afonia i pszczoły (2008).