# Tomasz Fornal

Tomasz Fornal (Polish pronunciation:; born 31 August 1997) is a Polish professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for Jastrzębski Węgiel and the Poland national team. Fornal won silver medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2022 World Championship as well as the 2021 Polish Champion title with Jastrzębski Węgiel.

## Career
### Junior career

He started playing volleyball at the 22 UKS (Students' Sport Club) run by the Elementary School No. 155 in Kraków. He then represented Hutnik Dobry Wynik volleyball club while attending Junior High School No. 46 in Kraków. He subsequently entered the youth squad of PGE Skra Bełchatów and won bronze medal at the Polish Junior Championships with the team.

### Senior career

In 2016, he made his debut in PlusLiga, Poland's highest level professional volleyball league, by joining Czarni Radom. In 2019, he changed his club and joined Jastrzębski Węgiel with which he won the 2021 Polish Championship and the 2022 Polish SuperCup. In 2023, he won silver medal with Jastrzębski Węgiel in the 2022–23 CEV Champions League losing to ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle in the first ever all-Polish Champions League final.

### National team

On 12 April 2015, the Poland, including Fornal, won the U19 European Champions title. They beat Italy in the final (3–1). He took part in the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival, and on 1 August 2015 won the tournament after beating Bulgaria in the final (3–0). On 23 August 2015, Poland won their first title of the U19 World Champions. In the final his team beat hosts – Argentina (3–2).
On 10 September 2016, he won the U20 European Champion title after winning 7 of 7 matches at the tournament, and beating Ukraine in the final (3–1). On 2 July 2017, Poland, including Fornal, won the U21 World Champions title after beating Cuba in the final (3–0). His national team won 47 matches in the row and never lost.
In 2022, he won a bronze medal with the national team at the 2022 Nations League held in Bologna, Italy. The same year, he won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championship jointly held in Poland and Slovenia, losing in the final to Italy (1–3).
In July 2023, he won a gold medal with his national team at the 2023 Nations League, defeating United States 3–1 in the final. In September 2023, he won a gold medal at the 2023 European Championship, defeating the reigning World Champions Italy in the final (3–0).
In August 2024, he won the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

## Personal life

His father, Marek, is a former volleyball player, a two–time Polish Champion (1988, 1989) with Hutnik Nowa Huta while his mother, Dorota, is a PE teacher. He has an older brother, Jan.
In 2024, he was involved in the 32nd edition of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. The winner of the charity auction was given an opportunity to go to Jastrzębie-Zdrój and take part in a training session with his team as well as go for a dinner with the player.

## Honours
### Club

* CEV Champions League
** 2022–23 – with Jastrzębski Węgiel
** 2023–24 – with Jastrzębski Węgiel
* Domestic
** 2020–21 Polish Championship, with Jastrzębski Węgiel
** 2021–22 Polish SuperCup, with Jastrzębski Węgiel
** 2022–23 Polish SuperCup, with Jastrzębski Węgiel
** 2022–23 Polish Championship, with Jastrzębski Węgiel
** 2023–24 Polish Championship, with Jastrzębski Węgiel

### Youth national team

* 2014 CEV U20 European Championship
* 2015 CEV U19 European Championship
* 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival
* 2015 FIVB U19 World Championship
* 2016 CEV U20 European Championship
* 2017 FIVB U21 World Championship

### Individual awards

* 2014: CEV U20 European Championship – Best receiver
* 2021: Polish SuperCup – Most valuable player
* 2023: PlusLiga – Player of the season
* 2024: FIVB Nations League – Best outside spiker

### State awards

* 2024: Knight's Cross of Polonia Restituta