Dostal changed coach after ten years. He arranged with a former training partner

Dostál’s decision was not an easy one, because he spent his entire adult career with former coach Karel Leština. “After the camp in Livigno, I decided to change my coach after ten years. Under Karel’s leadership, I managed to win four medals from the Olympic Games and ten precious metals from the World Championships, so I would like to thank him for his cooperation,” says Dostál.

“They were years well spent, but after such a long time I needed a change,” continues the twenty-nine-year-old kayaker, who has recently agreed to work with former partner Pavle Davídek.

“I’ve known Pavel for a long time, we’ve even been training together in a group since 2015, and we’ve sat down as people since the beginning. He knows me very well, so he knows when I need to add to my training and when, on the contrary, to take away,” explains Dostál.

In addition to his top career, Davídek managed to graduate with a doctorate in physiotherapy, which Dostál appreciates. “He definitely has an interesting perspective on training, where he can introduce new methods and focus on me doing all the exercises correctly physiologically.”

“Furthermore, Pavel has been actively paddling at the highest level so far, so he has enormous experience and can empathize very well with the position of a competitor. In the past, I consulted with him about my preparation, so our cooperation was actually the most natural,” adds the more than two-meter Olympian.

And what does the new coach say about cooperation with Dostál? “It’s a huge challenge and also a change, because until now I’ve taken care of Pep from the point of view of physiotherapy. We went through the entire pre-Olympic preparation together, which culminated in Tokyo. Now I’ll be in a different position, but I’m already looking forward to working together,” says Davídek.

The World Championships in Canada will begin on August 3.