While attending high school in Kraków, Poland, Helena Rakoczy, who was particularly good at track and field activities, was introduced to the sport of gymnastics. She joined a club named Corona (XX), and participated in her first Polish championships in 1937.

During an era when women’s gymnastics included group and hand apparatus competition, in addition to the traditional events, Rakoczy became one of the best Polish gymnasts of all time.

From 1947 to 1952, she was the most valuable gymnast on the Polish team. She even occasionally bested the powerful gymnasts from the Czechoslovakian team. In 1950, Rakoczy had her greatest success. In the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, she won three gold medals—vault, floor exercise and balance beam. She also won a bronze on the uneven bars.

At that time, she said, “I was the happiest person in the whole world. This was not only my success, but a great achievement for Polish gymnastics. 

She competed at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where the Polish team placed eighth. And in her final World Championships in 1954 in Rome, she completed her career with two more bronze medals, the all-around and the uneven bars.