Proven faces as well as newcomers and fighters at the peak of their careers. At the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, more than a hundred Czech athletes will strive for precious metals in the next two weeks. Who will win the medal in the end? The fans are almost certainly counting on her for the amphibian Ester Ledecké (30). Snowboarder Eva Adamczyková (32), who had to miss the last performance under five rings due to injury, is returning after maternity leave. And great expectations are attached to the unstoppable speed skating teenager Metodej Jílek (19).
The three-time Olympic gold medalist will once again be one of the main contenders for success. Eight years ago in Pyeongchang, she triumphed on both skis and snowboards, four years ago in Beijing she was also among the elite in both sports. In Italy, she will be aiming for her third gold on the board in the parallel giant slalom, in which she is almost invincible.
She also grinded her teeth for the first place in the downhill skiing, but the organizers included it in the program on the same day (February 8) as her great discipline on the board. Ledecká will therefore focus on the super giant slalom, in which she shocked the entire skiing world with her sensational gold eight years ago in Korea.
A new era of Czech women’s hockey started with the games in Beijing. It was the first ever tournament in the 24-year history of this discipline at the Olympics, for which the national team qualified. He took only seventh place, but since then he has gone up. At the 2022 WC, he won the first valuable metal in history when he beat the Swiss in the bronze medal match and repeated the same success a year later.
In the following two years, it was always the Finns who took third place behind the overseas teams, including last year at the home championship in České Budějovice. The Olympics is therefore a great opportunity to return to the podium. The women’s hockey players will play for the first time already on February 5 in a match against the USA, in the group they will challenge Switzerland, Finland and Canada.
Methodius Jílek
After 20 years, Martina Sáblíková will not be the main Czech hope in speed skating at the Olympic Games. After long years of dominance, her legacy could be taken over by a talented youngster who is fighting for the first ever Czech men’s speed skating medal at the Olympic Games.
The debuting Jílek won the World Cup races at 5000 meters, 10 kilometers and with a mass start in the current season and dominated the entire series on long distances. In addition to the mentioned disciplines, he will also compete in the 1500 meters in Milan. He will make his first appearance on February 8 at 5,000 meters.
Eva Adamczyková
Another Czech woman on the board who will want to expand her Olympic medal collection. The queen of snowboard cross dominated the discipline at Sochi 2014 and added bronze four years later in PyeongChang. She did not participate in the last Games in Beijing due to fractures in both ankles, however, she followed up her success with triumphs at the 2019 and 2023 World Championships.
Now the competitor, known for her painted mustache, is returning after maternity leave and would like to give her son Kryštof the precious metal, which she has reached in every start at the games so far. It will become clear on February 13 if she manages to extend the 100% balance.
Biathlon – mixed relay
The very first biathlon discipline of the Games could be the most lucrative for Czech competitors. The quartet Jessica Jislová, Tereza Voborníková, Vítězslav Hornig and Michal Krčmář won a valuable bronze medal at the recent World Cup in Nové Město na Moravá, and they still have ace Markéta Davidová in reserve. She could replace the first-named in the lineup.
The Czech Republic won eight medals in the biathlon at the previous Olympics, all of which were imported in 2014 and 2018. After the Beijing break, the representatives will want to build on their previous successes in the discipline, which has been one of the most successful in recent years. They also won the precious metal in it during its premiere under five rings 12 years ago, when they finished second in Sochi. They will have the opportunity already on February 8.
Anna Fernstädtová
He sees the Olympics as just another race, he doesn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on himself. However, fans and coach Josef Andrle are well aware that the native of Prague has world-class form. “No, she could have, but she must have a medal!” emphasized the coach after the final race of the World Cup in Altenberg, where Fernstädtová finished seventh. In the overall ranking, she even took the fourth place in her life and followed up on the bronze from last year’s world championship.
The only thing that can stop her is the inscrutable diabetes that keeps her awake some nights. We can only believe that she will be kind to her in sunny Italy. Fernstädt is said to have been promised a holiday in the Seychelles by her coach for placing on the podium. She would also like to improve on her sixth place from Pyeongchang and seventh place from Beijing in the February 13 and 14 races.
