With a former world champion and the current world record holder both gone, any country on the Cigar Smoking World Championship circuit would have been happy with maybe one or two participants making it to two hours, but not Poland. The country which has five people in the Top 20 list of all times and dominated the 2023 season with eight times in the top 20 of that season once again proved its position in the slow smoking world when a rookie swept the room and smoked for 3 hours 8 minutes and 15 seconds to claim the Polish CSWC champion title.

“The Polish smokers are definitely honing their craft,” CSWC founder Marko Bilic said in 2023. “More and more of them achieve better and better times, but then again they are learning from the best.”

The fact is that neither Klaudia Ide nor Borys Szkodziak has won the Polish championship after the pandemic. The latter wasn’t even on the podium in 2022 when he became world champion in the end. So there was still a lot of skill among the 30 names on the starting list, like Tomasz Żołądkiewicz. The double vice champion and the first person in CSWC history to break the three-hour mark twice on the world stage, made his return this year. The 2022 national champion and this year’s winner in Azerbaijan, Elena Tronina, and defending champion Marcin Sakowski are two other seasoned veterans.

Still, the day belonged to a new face in the crowd. Mariusz Kowalczyk beat them all when he made an impression to last. 3 hours 8 minutes and 15 seconds is one of the most impressive performances for a newcomer in the history of the CSWC.

“With poise and focus well beyond his rookie status, Kowalczyk outlasted the entire field, delivering a time that plants him firmly among the sport’s elite,” CSWC founder Marko Bilic says. “His performance signals that Poland’s conveyor belt of top-tier talent shows no sign of slowing.”

With this achievement he left Żołądkiewicz in second place, 14 minutes behind, and Tronina in third with 2 hours 39 minutes and 30 seconds.

“Żołądkiewicz’s return was worthy of his reputation – sharp, disciplined, and never far from the leader, and Tronina’s grace, skill, and consistency makes her one of the sport’s most respected competitors.”

Sakowski, who finished 7th in the 2023 grand final in Split, came in fourth at 2 hours and 34 minutes, further proofing Poland’s depth.

“This year’s field was one of the most evenly matched and high-caliber we’ve ever seen,” the organizers concluded.

In the absence of Ide and Szkodziak, the question remains if Kowalczyk can carry the Polish flag at the grand final as well.