CZECH FILIP DVORAK CONTINUES WITH HIS INSIGHTS INTO HOSTING THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN RACICE, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 59 YEARS. GOOD LUCK TO FILIP IN TODAY'S 5000M!!
The first day of finals at World Championships in Račice is over and what a day it was. There was only one downside from my point of view. That was the short shower during the morning program, but even that was rather refreshing and didn`t thin the crowd.
Ohh THE CROWD. It is still giving me the goose bumps. I, as a Czech, am so proud that Czech fans have made such elecrifying atmosphere that can be compared only to the races in the Mecca of paddling, Szeged, and the Olympic games.
Let me give you a little fun fact here. Regular population of Račice is somewhere around 330 people, which means (and this is only my guess) that during these weekend days the population of Račice gets twenty times bigger. And the majority of these people are here only to cheer for athletes to push themseves to their limits and perform the races of their life.
And you know what? The cheering apparently worked! Today we have seen some truly breathtaking performances. Let me tell you my personal highlights. Normaly I would start with Czech medals, but I have to say that I really admire the way the Germans in mens singles raced today. Both of them (Tom and Sebastian) managed to pull off such a mindblowing last 200 metres that they crushed all the competition, including local favourites. I almost could`t believe my eyes when i watched them cruising past other paddlers with such speed and elegance.
The second highlight must be three medals for Czech paddlers. Some of them maybe aimed a little higher than they reached. But I have to tell you Pepa, Martin, Daniel and Kuba that the whole local crowd, as well as spectators watching TV at home, as well as me are truly proud of you. Three medals from Olympic disciplines during one day is a huge success for Czech canoeing and you know what? I thing that the Czech team is not finished with picking medals yet. (Filip was absolutely correct - Ed)
The last of my personal highlights have to be K2 ladies over 500m. Who`s seen this race knows what I am talking about. I haven`t seen such a dominance for years. The Kiwi ladies were on the whole different level than the rest of the world. Caitlin and Lisa left no doubts from the first stroke who is in charge in this category. They stormed through the 500 meters leaving everybody 1,8s behind, which is a margin rarely seen in this highly competitive field. Hats off for these ladies!
Sunday is a next day full of fights for the medals. For some athletes the work is already done and they can enjoy some cold beer. Some will want to continue with their good effort and add some more medals to their pockets. Some whose plan didn`t work today, will look for retaliation. All I know is that it will be wonderfull to watch and to be part of it all.
