There’s a sense of pride among Czech athletes preparing to compete this week at the 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Racice, a feeling that finally, after more than half a century, one of the biggest events in the sport will be back where it belongs.
Of course they are biased, but the general reaction from the international athletes already this week has been very positive, with general excitement that after 59 years for a World Championships has returned to this tiny town less than one hour from Prague.
Maybe it’s the lack of international racing that has allowed the local wildlife to flourish. The Racice course is teeming with fish, some as big as a small dog, which leap out of the water excitedly as startled paddlers steam by.
Czech sprint canoe legend Martin Doktor lives so close to the Racice course he could cast a fishing line from his backyard. But in a long and distinguished career, he never raced a World or European Championship on the course.
“I decided last year after the season to carry on racing because of this World Championships in front of my home crowd,” Anna Koziskova said.
“I think it would be the perfect feeling to race at WCH at home, it is 59 years when WCH was in Czech.
“I was talking with Martin Doktor and he told me ‘I have won two gold medals at the Olympics, but I never raced in Racice at WCH or ECH.
“I am feeling like it is a little bit more preassure on me. Everyone who knows me is asking what discipline I will be racing in and if I will be on TV and what time I will be racing, that they will come to Racice to watch me.
“But on the other hand it also helps that I exactly know this racing course so I know what to do, what type of food will be served, where I can go to do my warming-up, how far is this or that and mostly we don't have to travel and I don't mean only to another country but also from hotel to the racing course!”
SECOND HOME
Racice is a second home for Czech Olympic silver medallist, Josef Dostal, which is useful because his two biggest passions in life are canoeing and fishing.
In an incredibly competitive field, it could be the home-town advantage which proves the difference for Dostal in the K1 1000. He won gold in the event in Moscow in 2014, but was less than impressed when he lost the title in Milan in 2015.
“Rene Poulsen stole something from me and I want it back,” Dostal said.
“It’s the title of world champion. I am prepared to race as hard as I can and we will see the result. Also I did not win the Olympics and that makes me more hungry for good results.
This year I haven`t shown off myself very well. I was competing only at two world cups - Szeged and Belgrade - and did not do as I wanted.
“I won twice at the 500m distance, but the 1000 was not good. I was disappointed with two “close medal results”. I skipped the European championship to focus for Racice.”
Jana Jezova has extra incentive to pull out something special this week. Canoeing for women will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020, so there’s a big opportunity for Jezova to make an impact.
“I am very excited that I can show my best in front of my friends and family,” she said.
“I am looking forward so much. It's also a chance to draw attention to Czech canoeing, popularise our sport and especially for me come to the fore (considering the fact that women canoe is a new olympic event).
“Czech canoeing had great results in the past and today as well. Because of the previous results, we have better condition for training nowadays. Therefore it is a little bit easier for athletes to continue with great results.
“I hope that we will show our best and continue in this tradition at the World Championships in Racice in front of the home crowd.”
CZECH PASSION
Generally speaking, Czechs are crazy about sport, and both canoe sprint and slalom are looked upon fondly. But it is a very competitive market, so the chance to showcase the world’s best splashing their way down the Racice course is a golden opportunity.
“Czech republic is a sport country, generally said,” Koziskova said.
“And to be honest, we have a big canoeing history but the most popular is tennis, ice hockey and soccer.
“Sometimes the people don't know what's the difference between canoeing and rowing, or they know the difference but then they don't know what's difference between flat-water, slalom, wild water.”
Dostal agrees.
“Maybe the canoe history of the Czech republic is very rich, but you can’t say that about kayak,” he said.
“Not with kayak results. We, the Czech kayakers, will try to change it.”
The Czech’s have a whole heap of medal prospects in Racice this week. Household names like Dostal and Fuksa will be at the forefront, and the team boats always perform well.
OLYMPIC DREAM
And then there are athletes like Anna Koziskova, who feel like they have some unfinished business.
“I am carrying in my heart through my whole sport career that I miss out an Olympics, it is too hard to qualify,” she said.
“But I will try it once again for Tokyo. I can be very greatful that I am healthy and successful, and I still have 10 medals from World Championships in marathon and three from European Championships in marathon and some nice results from the sprint.
“It’s a shame for me that 1000m isn't an Olympic distance for woman and it is just only sprint - 500m and 200m.
This year Koziskova felt she was in podium form again, but things went bad on the eve of the European Championships. Two days before her 1000m race, she injured her shoulder.
At any other time she would have rested, but it’s hard to tell an athlete competing on the big stage that they should skip their event.
“It was a bad and extensive inflammation,” she said.
“I still managed to race and I was 4th in K1 1000m, but I could hardly paddle, sleep, move with my whole right arm.
“I was racing K1 500m and 5000m also but with a terrible pain, and then I couldn't train for two and half weeks. I hope/believe that this week I am really ready and strong as before it happened.”
