Kollasch Ready for Second Olympic Run

AMES, Iowa -- Aurelia Trywianska-Kollasch has been there before. The big time. The former Iowa State hurdler has toed the line in the finals of the World Cup, European Cup, European Championships, World Championships and the Olympic Games, representing her native Poland. She continues to compete on the brightest stages, including a runner-up performance in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 World Cup June 22 in Annecy, France. Two weeks later, she was at it again, winning the Polish National 100-meter hurdle title July 6 in her hometown of Szczecin. Now she is set to compete in the same event at the Beijing Olympic Games. The first round of the 100-meter hurdles are set for 6 a.m. CDT Sunday.

“It's already been four years since my last Olympics (2004 Athens) and I had a full four years to get ready for another excruciating experience,” Trywianska said. “Last time in Athens I had huge expectations from my country (after being fifth at the World Championships in 2003). But this time around after training all this time in the U.S., I'm an underdog again. I'm running for myself now and I want to fulfill my own dreams and expectations.”

Age has yet to stop Trywianska-Kollasch, who at 32, was three years older than the next oldest 2008 European Cup finalist. Her national championship win was her sixth in the last seven years. Trywianska-Kollasch clocked a season-best 12.81 seconds to win in meet record time at the Josef Odlozil memorial meet June 16 in Prague. She equaled that time to place second in her last race, the KBC-Nacht meet July 20 in Heusden, Belgium. She is not startled by her success into her thirties. But make no doubt; success has come at a price and despite injury and illness.

“I'm not surprised by it,” Trywianska-Kollasch said. “I've been taking care of my body and soul well since my being injured last year before the World Champs in Osaka. I know what it takes to compete at that level and let me tell you it's not an easy task - you run hurdles but you also run into hurdles when you are an elite athlete. People have high expectations of you and I need to set my goals higher and higher each year. Its been tough the past two years since I was nagged by injuries. First, my hamstring was pulled in 2006, but I managed to make a comeback and came in fifth at the European (Championship) in Gothenburg (Sweden). Secondly, my illness last season made it impossible to compete at the elite level in Osaka (Japan) in 2007. When you are injured it's a huge setback, but it also motivates you to work harder.”

From the beginning, Trywianska-Kollasch was good on the track and in the classroom. She was a junior college All-American, placing third in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and the 100-meter hurdles outdoors for Highland Community (Kan.) College. She came to ISU in 1999 as a seven-time Polish junior hurdle champion. Straightaway, she was a leader in the classroom. Trywianska-Kollasch graduated with a double major bachelor's degree of international studies and political science in May of 2000.

In 2000, Trywianska-Kollasch had her best year at Iowa State, finishing second in the 100-meter hurdle finals of the Big 12 Championship and the Drake Relays. In May of 2002, she earned her master's degree from Iowa State in political science. When former Polish President Lech Walesa visited ISU, Trywianska-Kollasch was his student host. In July of 2002, she won her first Polish national 100-meter hurdle championship. She found more than academic and athletics success at Iowa State.

“My husband Korey Kollasch is from Swea City, Iowa,” Trywianska-Kollasch said. “He was a strength and conditioning assistant while we both were still in college at ISU. We met at the weight room in the (ISU) Rec Center.”

Trywianska-Kollasch currently trains in Tucson, Ariz., where Korey is a personal trainer at a health club.

Trywianska-Kollasch's international track and field career took off in 2003. In July of that year in Zagreb, Croatia, she clocked her personal best of 12.74 in the Hanzekovic Meet. Then it was on to the biggest stage, the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Saint-Denis, France. Her 12.75 effort in the final was good enough for fifth place as she ascended onto a plateau that included the world's best hurdlers.

Her career on the track has continued unabated since, despite the personal challenges and injuries. Before this year's runner-up performance in the European Cup, she placed sixth in the Euro Cup 100-meter hurdle final in 2002, was fifth in 2004 and fourth in 2005. A member of the Polish Olympic team in Athens in 2004, she has competed in three outdoor world championships. Indoors she has placed twice in the European Cup 60-meter hurdles, fifth in 2004 and sixth in 2006.

And after this Olympics?

“Track and field is my life at this point, so I don't do anything besides training,” Trywianska-Kollasch said. “I want to go back to finish off my doctorate after these Games and would like to do so at the University of Arizona here in Tucson. This is where we live, work and train.”

Wherever she is in the future, she will be of Iowa State University's premier ambassadors.

Iowa State Olympians

1928 Amsterdam
Ralph Simpson ? United States ? Athletics
Arthur Holding ? United States ? Wrestling - Bantam weight
Ralph Prunty ? United States ? Wrestling - Alternate
Raymond Conger - United States ? Athletics ? 1,500-meter run

1932 Los Angeles
Robert Hess ? United States ? Wrestling - Middleweight

1948 London
Glen Brand ? United States ? Wrestling ? Gold Medal at Middleweight

1956 Melbourne
Kent Townley ? United States ? Greco-Roman Wrestling ? Flyweight

1964 Tokyo
Al Closter ? United States ? Baseball
Raul Duarte- Peru- Basketball

1968 Mexico City
Tom Peckham ? United States ? Wrestling ? Middleweight

1972 Munich
Dan Gable ? United States ? Wrestling ? Gold Medal at Lightweight
Ben Peterson ? United States ? Wrestling ? Gold Medal at Light Heavyweight
Chris Taylor ? United States ? Wrestling ? Bronze Medal at Super Heavyweight
Chris Taylor ? United States ? Greco-Roman Wrestling
Bob Buzzard ? United States ? Greco-Roman Wrestling

1976 Montreal
Mike Farina ? United States ? Greco-Roman Wrestling ? Featherweight
Ben Peterson ? United States ? Wrestling ? Silver Medal at Light Heavyweight
Clive Sands ? Bahamas ? Athletics ? 100-meter dash, 4X100 relay

1980 Moscow
David Korir ? Kenya ? Athletics ? 800-meter run
*Ron Galimore ? United States ? Gymnastics
James Moi ? Kenya ? Athletics ? Long and Triple Jump
*Ben Peterson ? United States ? Wrestling ? Light Heavyweight
Sunday Uti ? Nigeria ? Athletics ? 400-meter run

* denotes that the athlete did not compete due to boycott

1984 Los Angeles
Nawal El Moutawakel-Bennis ? Morocco ? Athletics ? Gold Medal in 400-meter hurdles
Danny Harris ? Unites States ? Athletics ? Silver Medal in 400-meter hurdles
Henrik Jorgensen ? Denmark ? Athletics ? Marathon
Moses Kiyai ? Kenya ? Athletics ? Long and Triple Jump
Dorthe Rasmussen ? Denmark ? Athletics ? Marathon
Sunday Uti ? Nigeria ? Athletics ? 400-meter run ? Bronze Medal in 4X400 meter relay
Bob Verbeeck ? Belgium ? Athletics ? 5,000-meter run
Alen Zachariason ? Denmark ? Athletics ? Steeplechase

1988 Seoul
Curt Bader? Unites States ? Kayak
Nate Carr? Unites States ? Wrestling ? Bronze Medal at 149.5 pounds
Jeff Grayer? Unites States ? Basketball ? Bronze Medal
Henrik Jorgensen ? Denmark ? Athletics ? Marathon
Joseph Kipsang ? Kenya ? Athletics ? Marathon
Yobes Ondieki ? Kenya ? Athletics ? 5,000-meter run
Sunday Uti ? Nigeria ? Athletics ? 400-meter run
Raf Wyns- Belgium- Athletics
Edith Nakiyingi- Uganda- Athletics
Patrick Sang- Kenya- Athletics

1992 Barcelona
Maria Akraka ? Sweden ? Athletics ? 1,500-meter run
Curt Bader? Unites States ? Kayak
Kevin Jackson? Unites States ? Wrestling ? Gold Medal at 180.5 pounds
Yobes Ondieki ? Kenya ? Athletics ? 5,000-meter run
Jacqueline Parker ? Great Britain ? Athletics ? 400-meter hurdles
Bobby Douglas- United States coach- Wrestling

1996 Atlanta
Curt Bader? Unites States ? Kayak
Jon Brown ? Great Britain ? Athletics ? 10,000-meter run
Andrew Clayton ? Great Britain ? Swimming ? 200-meter freestyle and 4X200 freestyle relay
Lisa Eagen? Unites States ? Team Handball
Ron Galimore? Unites States ? Gymnastics ? Director of Men's Gymnastics
John Nuttall ? Great Britain ? Athletics ? 5,000-meter run
Franklin Nwankpa ? Nigeria ? Athletics
Suzanne Youngberg Rigg ? Great Britain ? Athletics ? Marathon

2000 Sydney
Jon Brown ? Great Britain ? Marathon
Erin Woods ? Canada ? Softball
Lovre Franicevic ? Croatia ? Swimming
Tony Rampton ? New Zealand ? Basketball
Andrew Clayton ? Great Britain ? Swimming
Patrick Isaksson - Sweden ? Swimming

2004 Athens
Jon Brown ? Great Britain ? Marathon
Cael Sanderson- United States- Wrestling- Gold medal
Tony Rampton- New Zealand- Basketball
Kristen Karanzias- Greece- Softball
Bobby Douglas- United States coach- Wrestling
Kevin Jackson- United States coach- Wrestling
Aurelia (Trywianska) Kollasch- Poland- Athletics

2008 Beijing
Aurelia (Trywianska) Kollasch- Poland- Athletics

See any names missing? Call the Iowa State athletics communications office at 515-294-3372 if there are any former Cyclone athletes that should be included on this list.

Iowa State University Athletics

Kollasch Ready for Second Olympic Run

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