Agata Smetaniuk
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Agata Smetaniuk | |
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| Born | April 8, 1979 Toruń, Poland |
| Citizenship | Polish-American |
| Alma mater | Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Science |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Lee Schaps |
Agata Smetaniuk Schaps (née Smetaniuk; born April 8, 1979) is a Polish-American athlete, coach, and personal trainer. She is a seven-time world champion in Shotokan karate and has won 15 total medals at the World Karate Championships and 13 at the European Championships. After competing for Poland and later the United States, she transitioned into coaching and owns a health club in Illinois.
Early life
Smetaniuk was born in Toruń, Poland. From a young age, she explored various sports, including swimming and gymnastics, before starting karate training at age eight. She began more serious practice at 14 with the Toruński Klub Karate Shotokan. She represented the club in junior competitions and was selected for the Polish national team winning numerous national and international championships. Smetaniuk studied at the Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Science in Wrocław, where she earned a master's degree in sports psychology.
Karate career
Agata Smetaniuk competed professionally for 11 years, primarily in Shotokan karate, before initially retiring in 2006. During her time with the Polish national team, she earned 13 total medals at the World Karate Championships and 13 at the European Championships. She secured a bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Japan, which she described as one of her toughest competitions.
In 2004, she moved to the United States and joined the U.S. karate program. After a nine-year hiatus, she returned to competition in 2013 and just one year later, her prowess was undeniable. At the 2014 U.S. National Championships, she captured two gold medals and a silver, proving that her years away had done little to diminish her exceptional talent[1]. She repeated her results at 2015 [2]and in 2016 she came back from nationals with two gold medals and a bronze medal [3]
In 2017, she won three gold medals at a U.S. championship event and a gold and bronze at the International Karate Championships in Honolulu. The following year, she claimed three gold medals at the AAU Karate Nationals
In 2022, at the WUKF World Karate Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Smetaniuk won two gold medals: one in the 21–35 elite category and another in the 40–45 age group.[4] Overall, she has been reported as a 15-time medalist at World Championships (with up to seven golds), a 13-time medalist at European Championships (with two golds), and a 76-time medalist at national championships in Poland and the U.S.[4][5][6]
Coaching and business
Following her initial retirement, Smetaniuk became a coach for the U.S. national karate team under the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), focusing on athlete development, training camps, and annual preparation cycles. She specializes in sports theory and has worked with junior and senior team members.
She owns and operates the 365 Approach to Sport fitness center in Wheeling , Illinois, where she provides personal training services to clients with diverse goals, such as weight management and strength building. The fitness center is a family-owned business, which she runs with her husband. The center also hosts events, including art exhibitions.[7] Earlier, she instructed at the Illinois Shotokan Karate Club.[8]
Other athletic pursuits
In 2017, Smetaniuk took up track cycling. After three months of training, she won gold and bronze medals at the Illinois State Championships in the masters category and a silver in the elite category. She also competed at the 2017 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles that year placing 7th in a team spring and 8th individually in 500m sprint.
Artistic pursuits
Smetaniuk is an amateur painter, focusing on portraits, particularly of people and children. She began drawing in school but took up painting more seriously in 2012 after encouragement from friends. Initially a private hobby, she started exhibiting her work publicly, including at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago as part of the "Art for Heart" show. In September 2021, she held a vernissage at her fitness center, combining art with the gym's opening. She views painting as a way to relax from her sports and coaching commitments.[9]
Personal life
In 2022, Agata Smetaniuk married Lee Schaps, a long-time Chicago policeman. She is now known as Agata Smetaniuk Schaps. Smetaniuk resides in the Chicago area. She has expressed a love for animals.
Awards and recognition
Smetaniuk has twice been named Sportowy Polonus Roku (Sports Polonus of the Year) by Chicago's Wietrzne Radio, in 2017 and 2022, recognizing her contributions to sports in the Polish-American community.
In 2023, Smetaniuk was honored as one of the "Contemporary Polish Copernicus" laureates by the Polish Teachers Association in America [10]for her contributions as a Pole living abroad.
References
- ↑ "Karate jest moim zyciowym oddechem". Dziennik Zwiazkowy. 12 July 2014.
- ↑ "Kolejne medale Agata Smetaniuk". Dziennik Zwiazkowy. 11 July 2015.
- ↑ "Medalowa Passa Agaty Smetaniuk". Dziennik Zwiazkowy. 16 July 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "10TH WUKF WORLD KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP 2022" (PDF). World Union of Karate-Do Federations. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
- ↑ "2017 AAU KARATE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA" (PDF). AAU Sports. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ "Polish American Journal" (PDF). Polish American Journal. November 2018. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ "Ze sztuką i sportem za pan brat". Monitor Chicago. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ "Agata Smetaniuk zdobyła kolejny tytuł mistrzowski na Florydzie". Deon24. 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ "Wystawa Art For Heart". Dziennik Zwiazkowy. 19 September 2018.
- ↑ "W poszukiwaniu współczesnego polonijnego Kopernika". Dziennik Zwiazkowy. 22 December 2023.
External links
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