Katowice (from our correspondent) – The performance of Czech athletes within the European Championship teams resembled a yo-yo. Relegation from the Super League was followed by promotion from the second highest league and again. For the format of the European Games, the elite group was increased to sixteen teams, and Russia is absent for known reasons. The three worst teams will be relegated.
“In the long term, we are hovering around eleventh to thirteenth place. Our calculations also correspond to this,” says Sluka. Placement in thirteenth place means the certainty of salvation for the next year in two years, of course, if there is no further change of format.
In Chořov, all divisions are held together for the first time, the final three evenings belong to the elite at the Silesian Stadium. According to paper assumptions, the teams of Italy, France and Germany belong to the favorites, but they have taken the calculations several times in the past.
Only Jakub Vadlejch, the medalist from all major events, is missing from the Czech teams, who was excused by coach Jan Železný. “We agreed so. He has a very busy schedule and the priority is the World Championship,” explained Sluka.
The team captains are shot putter Tomáš Staněk and miler Kristiina Mäki, javelin thrower Nikola Ogrodníková and distance runner Radek Juška already have a lot of experience.
Photo: Ivana Roháčková
Head coach of Czech athletes Pavel Sluka.
“But we will also rely on younger competitors who have already penetrated the European elite, such as Lada Vondrová, Amálie Švábíková, Matěj Krsek, or now Karolína Maňasová,” reminds Sluka of this season’s sprinting comet, one of the newcomers in the team.
“We have seventeen of them in total, it can be seen that the national team is being rewarded, and I am very happy that the young people have the opportunity to show themselves here,” said the head coach, who introduced the newcomers during the traditional team meeting on Thursday evening.
The European Team Championship also has its own specific rules. In the throws, distance and triple jump, only the best four pass the final sixth series, in the height and pole, in addition to the standard rules, the fact that four failed attempts during the entire competition means the end.
A novelty is the inclusion of a mixed relay instead of the “classic” quarter relay. And for the Czech quartet Lada Vondrová, Tereza Petržilková, Matěj Krsek, Vít Müller, with excellent individual form, this can mean an attack on participation in the World Championship. Currently, the last qualifying time is 3:17.76.
“But two very good girls and two very fast boys will be fielded by most teams. Before the Olympics, the mixed relay also ran an excellent time from our point of view, and in the end it was not enough,” Sluka recalls the Czech record of the quartet Patrik Šorm, Pavel Maslák, Lada Vondrová, Barbora Malíková 3:14.83 from Kladno.