As the Cigar Smoking World Championship season continues Poland seems to strengthen its position as one of the top nations. Last year Borys Szkodziak outperformed everyone when he won the final in 2022. His winning time of 3 hours 20 minutes and 3 seconds was the best one that year, and all in all the country had eight of the times in the top 20 list for the entire season as well as six competitors among the top 20 in the final.
One of them was Szkodziak’s girlfriend Klaudia Ide, who earlier this year broke the world record at a time chase event in Warsaw when she held on for 3 hours 53 minutes and 9 seconds.
At a time chase event in Katowice Ide performed well again, smoking for 2 hours and 48 minutes, while Szkodziak made it into this season’s top 20 list at 2 hours and 17 minutes, despite both of them receiving 15 minute penalties. In addition to that, Dariusz Jacek became the fourth Polish smoker to reach the top 20 with 2 hours and 15 minutes, making Poland the country with the most representatives on the list.
“The Polish smokers are definitely honing their craft,” CSWC founder Marko Bilic says. “More and more of them achieve better and better times, but then again they are learning from the best.”
Picture: Klaudia Ide and Borys Szkodziak on the left, at the time chase event in Katowice