Overview
A professional kiteboarder from Poland. A prominent figure in the Big Air scene, he is a leading rider of the next generation.
Career
Having been familiar with wind and sea since childhood, he became a Junior World Champion. At the age of 18, he received an invitation to the Red Bull King of the Air, drawing global attention.
In 2021, he became the Overall Tour Champion of the first-ever BAKL (Big Air Kite League), and the “4 x front roll contra board-off” he landed at that year’s KOTA was selected as the “Men’s Move of the Year” at the 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Awards. He was at the absolute peak of his career.
However, in 2022, he suffered a catastrophic injury, fracturing both legs during a training crash at Balneario in Tarifa, Spain. This tragedy occurred just the day before the “Full Power Tarifa 2022” competition he was scheduled to compete in, becoming the greatest trial of his competitive life, requiring a long absence from the top scene and grueling rehabilitation.
Sponsors & Brands
He was signed with CORE Kiteboarding and Mystic as his main sponsors. He praised Core’s XR series as the optimal gear for Big Air and was deeply involved in testing the Core Air Pro, which delivers high performance even in light winds.
Personality & Friendships
He possesses a unique personality and a high spirit of inquiry in fields outside of kitesurfing, such as his experience sailing around the Atlantic on a large sailing ship as a child and innovative video production in collaboration with professional FPV drone pilots.
Furthermore, he shares one of the deepest friendships in the kiting world with Giel Vlugt and Zara Hoogenraad. Immediately after Janek’s serious injury, Giel was the first person he called for help in his pain. As told in Episode 261 of the podcast “Kitesurf365,” Zara rushed to the scene in a panic, and Giel spent the night in tears imagining his best friend’s broken state. However, saved by Janek’s unchanging happy smile in the hospital room, the two vowed to “win for Janek” and achieved a brilliant double victory in both men’s and women’s divisions at the next day’s competition. The episode of them bringing their trophies straight back to Janek’s hospital room is still told today as a symbol of the hot bonds between top riders.
Quotes & Anecdotes
“They were there for me the whole day before, and the next day they both won the competition and brought me the trophies. It was truly magical.”
— Janek Grzegorzewski
“Simple; going big and flying high. I always wanted to fly and big air allows me to do that.”
— Janek Grzegorzewski
“If you love something enough and have the opportunity to train everyday you will become good at it.”
— Janek Grzegorzewski
Competition Results
- Junior World Champion
- 2020: Winner, Tatajubafest (BAKL 2nd edition)
- 2021: Participant, Red Bull King of the Air (Scored a record 9.4 for his 4 x front roll contra board-off)
- 2021: BAKL Overall Tour Champion (1st Place)
- 2022: Winner, “Men’s Move of the Year” at Qatar Airways GKA Awards (4 x front roll contra board-off)