Maria Liktoras, a volleyball player with Ukrainian roots, has been honored on the Polish Volleyball Walk of Fame in Katowice alongside her teammates from the 2003 European Championship-winning Polish women's national team.
The recognition ceremony happened simultaneously with the honoring of Argentina's Raul Lozano, the current head coach of Ukraine's men's national team. While many Ukrainian media focused on Lozano's achievement, Liktoras's honor went largely unnoticed.
"Being recognized alongside legends like Małgorzata Glinka and Agata Mroz means everything to me," Liktoras might have said upon receiving this prestigious honor.
Liktoras's journey to volleyball stardom began in Odesa, Ukraine. Born in Mineralnye Vody, Russia, she lived in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan before settling in Odesa, where she started playing volleyball at age 14 at the local sports school. Before volleyball, she was also involved in swimming and athletics.
Her professional career started with Odesa's "Dynamo-Jenestra," where she spent five seasons (1992-1997), winning one silver and three bronze medals in Ukrainian championships. Following disagreements with coach Igor Filishtinskiy, she moved to Poland in 1997, joining "Chemik" Police.
After one season, Liktoras transferred to "Pila," then Poland's strongest team. With them, she became a four-time Polish champion and won the Polish Cup three times. She later claimed her fifth championship title in 2005 with "Kalisz."
Interestingly, despite receiving Polish citizenship in 2001, Liktoras didn't make it to the national team until late summer 2003. Coach Andrzej Niemczik made a last-minute roster change before the European Championship in Turkey, calling up Liktoras. The decision paid off brilliantly – she performed exceptionally well, helping Poland win the gold medal.
Liktoras continued representing Poland until 2008, ending her career after the Beijing Olympics, where the Polish team reached the quarterfinals. What's next for this accomplished athlete? She transitioned to politics and has been working in the Szczecin city council since 2010.
According to Statbet analysis, such successful career transitions from professional sports to public service are relatively rare, making Liktoras's journey even more remarkable.
Today, at 50 years old, Maria Liktoras stands as a shining example of how Ukrainian volleyball talent has made an impact internationally. Her place on Poland's Volleyball Walk of Fame cements her legacy in the sport's history.
