Dominik Buksak / Mateusz Gwozdz

The elder statesman of Poland's skiff scene, Dominik Buksak (born 19 September 1992) is a two-time European vice-champion (2018 and 2023) and a Paris 2024 Olympian, where he finished fifth, results earned with former crew Szymon Wierzbicki.

Sailing out of the Szczecin sailing centre, he has since rebuilt with a much younger crew in Mateusz Gwozdz. The freshly formed pairing made an immediate impact, taking fifth at the 2026 World Championship in Quiberon.

That result confirmed Buksak remains one of the most accomplished 49er helmsmen in the fleet as a new Olympic cycle begins.

Born in 2005 and trained at Yacht Club Polski Gdynia, Mateusz Gwozdz is one of the most exciting young talents in Polish sailing, named Gdynia's Athlete of the Year in 2023.

Unusually for an Olympic-class skiff sailor, he has also made his mark offshore: as one of the youngest competitors in the event's history, he was part of the WindWhisper Racing Team crew that won The Ocean Race Sprint in the VO65 class.

He stepped into a high-pressure seat in the 49er alongside Olympic veteran Dominik Buksak, and the pair had been training together for only around eighteen months when they produced a breakthrough fifth place at the 2026 World Championship in Quiberon, a remarkable senior arrival for the AZS AWFiS Gdansk sailor.