Wilfredo Leon’s journey to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship has been anything but ordinary.
Born and raised in Cuba, Leon was once one of the brightest young stars in international volleyball. But in 2015, he made the life-changing decision to leave his home country and start a new chapter in Poland.
Four years later, after marrying his Polish wife, Małgorzata Gronkowska, and starting a family, Leon was officially granted Polish citizenship.
He was cleared to represent his adopted country in 2019 and immediately made an impact, helping Poland secure a bronze medal at the European Championship and a silver finish at the FIVB World Cup.
That momentum, however, was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing him to wait even longer to compete on the world’s biggest stages.
In 2024, Leon finally suited up for Poland at the Paris Olympics, but the campaign ended in heartbreak with a quarterfinal exit against eventual champion France.
Set to make his long-awaited World Championship debut a year later, Leon’s dream was delayed again when a knee injury sidelined him.
“You can’t imagine how badly I wanted this. I have no words for it,” Leon said after returning to lead Poland past Turkey in the 2025 quarterfinals.
Now fully healthy and part of a complete roster, Leon sees this World Championship not only as his chance for glory but also as a way to repay the country that embraced him and gave him a second home.
“I worked a lot and waited for this moment. Last time I wasn’t on the team; now I am, and I came here to fight hard,” Leon said. “I don’t have the gold medal yet. That’s my motivation — I’m hungry. I need medals, and I need gold medals.”
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