Great atmosphere in the team. The head coach and the organisers believe in success
The day before the start of the 2022 ICF World Cup in Prague - Troja, the Czech stars met with media representatives at a press conference at the Jalta Hotel on Thursday, June 9. The director of the organizing committee, Jiří Rohan, and the chairman of the Czech Canoeists' Association, Jan Boháč, described the backstage and the details of the organizing of the major international event. The current mood in the team was described by the head coach Jiří Prskavec senior and the chairman of the wild water section Stanislav Ježek. Jiří Prskavec, Vít Přindiš, Tereza Fišerová, Gabriela Satková and Lukáš Rohan took part as the competitors representatives.
Jan Boháč: A beautiful sporting event awaits us - the best canoeing event here. I would like to thank the team of Jirk Rohan - it is a famous team that does world-class races, everyone in the world admires this environment enhanced by the location of the capital. We have the best paddlers in the world and I will be very happy if they succeed.
Jiří Rohan: We have a record number of starting boats from the 37 countries and five continents. The budget of the event is around 8 million CZK. The media partner is the Czech TV and Czech Radio. I would like to thank all those who are involved in organizing the races, including several volunteers, without whom it would not really be possible to organize it. Next year, the World Cup should be held again at a similar date.
Stanislav Ježek: I am glad that we have such a big event with us and we have a team in great condition. Now, after the European Championships, there is a slight pressure for success at home.
Jiří Prskavec senior: A few days ago, we returned from the European Championships in Liptovský Mikuláš, where we became the most successful nation with five medals, three gold medals. I believe that in Troja the competitors will show what they can do and it will be enough for good results. The mood in the team is very good, which I consider very important. They support each other.
Tereza Fišerová: The European Championships are over and now we are heading for preparations towards the World Championships. The program will be more demanding but I believe I can handle it and I'm really looking forward to the Troja races. I'm really looking forward to it.
Gabriela Satková: This year, I have a lot of races in the senior category and also in U23. I really appreciate the fact that my sister Martina and I are in the national team for the second year in a row. It's unbelievable when we're racing together, both for each other. We are two against the whole world.
Jiří Prskavec: It is definitely an advantage to have a family with you at the races. When things go wrong, my dad and wife and I can talk outside of sports, and one somehow filters out - tension or nervousness before races or after training. I think I have everything perfectly managed but after the Olympics, I was very tired. After the medal in Rio, I knew what I was getting into. No one has to say yes to everything.
Lukáš Rohan: I might be tempted to write a book in the future but have no ambitions at the moment. I'm about to submit my dissertation right now. State university exams are waiting for me in September.
Vít Přindiš: The mood is also good in our training group and we also confirmed that by the fact we had all three kayakers qualified in the national team. I think it's unique in the world - the whole team from one training party.
Follow the online results here.
Picture: Irena Vanišová