Longer and harder season prep for Czech team
Aug 31, 2018·Nordic Combined
The Czech team has started into their preparations for the Olympic season - and many activities have already been on schedule for a seven-member team since mid-May. The training will be longer and harder, the goal is to surpass the not so successful presentation at the World Championships in Lahti in the past season.
Seven athletes, Lukas Danek, Miroslav Dvorak, Ondrej Pazout, Tomas Portyk, Jan Vytrval, Marting Zeman and David Zemek, have had an initial two week-camp in Liberec and also do week-long jumping training on plastic in Breitenberg, Germany.
“In Liberec, we focussed on general training and in Breitenberg on the jumping part. The local K 75 hill is optimal for the beginning of summer jumping”, head coach Vladimir Smid explains. “The training will change compared to last season. There will be a higher number of training hours and we will also be more consistent in the volumes of ski jumping training and endurance blocks, which will increase in difficulty. All of the athletes are healthy and are very motivated in the training.”
With Pazout, Vytrval and Zemek still being juniors, the FIS Nordic Junior World Championships in Goms/Kandersteg (SUI) will be a first highlight to prepare for and after this, the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in February are of course the focal point of all preparations.
“The Olympic Games are an extraordinary event for both, athletes and trainers and we want to be well prepared for them. We have a good group of athletes who are also growing as a team and pushing and motivating each other. We believe that Mirek Dvorak will be back this season. He is leading the team and our coaches have set more stringent rules and training regimes. Mirek wants to work and feels he’s approaching the peak of his career. He would very much like to make his way back to the top of this sport”, coach Smid continues.
After the initial training blocks, the team prepared in Harrachov and will proceed to the Austrian training centre of Eisenerz on the 9th of June. Right after their return, the athletes will take part in the Grand Prix of Lomnice nad Popelkou (16.6.) and in the Mayor’s Cup in Roznov pod Radhostem on June 24-25.
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