Alex Borucki
- Country
- Poland
- Club
- KKW 1929 Kraków
- National team
- Poland Canoe Sprint
- Born
- 2006-06-04
Alex Borucki is the most exciting talent Polish sprint kayaking has produced in years. Born in 2006 and racing for KKW 1929 Kraków, he became senior European champion in the K1 500 m in June 2026 in Montemor-o-Velho — days after turning twenty — as [Poland left the championships with ten podium finishes](/news/poland-european-canoe-sprint-championships-2026-borucki-en). The final itself turned into a drama. Borucki crossed the line first, 0.280 s clear of Josef Dostál and 0.375 s ahead of Jacob Schopf, only to be disqualified for allegedly straying from the axis of his lane. Poland protested, and after nearly two hours the jury agreed he had neither crossed his lane line nor gained an advantage — the gold was restored, a moment captured in the [championship wrap-up](/news/european-canoe-sprint-championships-2026-wrap-up-en). The title did not come out of nowhere. Borucki won the junior world championship in Auronzo, Italy, in 2023 — returning home with medals of every colour — and claimed his first junior European title that same season on the very course in Montemor-o-Velho. He has since added European U23 golds in the K2 500 m and K2 1000 m. In the autumn of 2025 his build-up was derailed: a torn anterior cruciate ligament and damaged medial meniscus, suffered in running training, required knee arthroscopy, with doctors projecting a return to full training in January. Even so, his 2026 has been prolific: 36 races, three golds and a silver. He raced at the [junior and U23 world championships in Halifax](/news/hungary-rule-halifax-junior-u23-canoe-sprint-worlds-2026), and the season calendar still holds the senior World Championships in Poznań (26–30 August 2026).