In this exam period, some students of the Faculty of Sports Studies MU have more things on their minds than just finishing the semester successfully. Eliška Březinová and Filip Taschler are preparing for the top sporting event in figure skating, Tereza Voborníková, Eva Puskarčíková and Michal Krčmář will go to the Olympics to compete in biathlon, and – if he test negative – Adam Václavík will also fly to China to take part in the Games. Downhill skiing competitor Tereza Nová and cross-country skier Kateřina Janatová received their nominations to the Czech team too, while skier Petra Hromcová will represent Slovakia at the Olympics. One day before the start of the Games, snowboard crosser Radek Houser also learned of his additional nomination.
For six of the athletes, this will be their first time at the Olympics, while the other three have already competed before. Eliška Březinová, who studies the Secondary School Teacher Training in Physical Education programme, will do her best in the figure skating competition. She already has a Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning Training and Applied Kinesiology from the Faculty of Sports Studies and got into figure skating thanks to her brother Michal, who is a multiple Czech champion and bronze medallist at the European Championships. He has also qualified for the Olympic Games. “Figure skating is a difficult but beautiful sport. I started doing it because of my brother,” says the 25-year-old figure skater. “I’m really looking forward to it and I hope it won’t be competing at an empty stadium. Figure skating is a bit like acting and it’s not the same without an audience,” she added.
Filip Taschler, a student of the Regeneration and Nutrition in Sport programme, will compete in the ice dancing competition with his sister Natálie. He only watched the previous Olympics on TV. He and his sister were in the junior category and had only been skating together for two years. They have come a long way since then. First, they went to America and then moved to Italy to receive the best possible training. They had their first senior competition as an ice dancing couple and qualified for the Beijing Olympics in September. “We have achieved something that we have been preparing for since we were little. But I don’t think we’re going to win any medals at this Olympics already,” says Filip laughing, adding that they will enjoy competing at the Beijing Olympic but the next four years will be the true challenge for them.
Tereza Voborníková studies in the Regeneration and Nutrition in Sport programme. Last year she competed for the first time in the Biathlon World Cup and now she will compete at the Olympics. “Before the season started I hadn’t thought about the Olympics at all. I thought I had no chance to qualify so I trained the same way as I normally would if there were no Olympic Games,” admitted the 21-year-old biathlete, who will compete in three races.
For biathlete Adam Václavík, this will be his second Olympics. Unfortunately, he tested positive for coronavirus before his departure and did not travel with the rest of the Czech team. He is currently waiting for a negative test in the Czech Republic. Adam studies in the Secondary School Teacher Training in Physical Education programme at MU.
Michal Krčmář and Eva Puskarčíková are at their third Olympic Games. Eva is a graduate of the Faculty of Sports Studies and is now continuing her education at the Faculty of Education MU in the Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in Geography programme. Michal, who hopes to win a medal for the Czech Republic at the Games, is studying in the Strength and Conditioning Training programme.
Tereza Nová, a skier, studies in the same field in combination with Applied Kinesiology. She had not counted on her first time at the Olympics, but she received an additional nomination to compete in downhill, super-G and the women’s alpine combined. Her fellow student and skier Petra Hromcová is representing Slovakia.
Cross-country skier Kateřina Janatová also flew to China to compete at her first Olympic Games. She studies Regeneration and Nutrition in Sport at the Faculty of Sports Studies. Spectators will be able to cheer her on in the cross-country skiing women’s 7.5km + 7.5km skiathlon.
A day before the Olympic Games started, snowboard crosser Radek Houser also learned of his nomination. Jan Kubičík was injured in training at the Games venue and Radek, who studies the Applied Sports Education of Security Bodies programme, is his replacement. The news of his nomination found him while he was competing at the European Cup. Now he will try to complete all the necessary procedures to be able to participate the men’s race on 10 February and to take part in the mixed team competition with Vendulka Hopjáková. Radek raced at the Olympic track three months ago during a test race and knows it well.
As students of Masaryk University, some of the Olympians also participate in the UNIS project, which provides financial and material support to top student athletes.