Pavel Burian posts - Czech Points

Pavel Burian

July 30, 2021 Celebrity

Kayaker Jiri Prskave brings home gold for the Czech Republic

Kayaker Jiri Prskave brings home gold for the Czech Republic - Czech Points

Kayaker Jiří Prskavec won the Olympic water slalom in Tokyo. Beating second-place Jakub Grigar from Slovakia by more than three seconds. German Hannes Aigner finished third. The 28-year-old Czech national team player improved his result from previous games in Rio de Janeiro, where he won bronze.

In Tokyo, Prskavec won the second gold medal for the Czechia after the shooter Jiří Lipták and the fifth most valuable metal. Canoeist Lukáš Rohan, who won silver, was also among the top three on the Kasai Canal.

The reigning world champion Prskavec advanced to the final fights for the title from the first place in the semifinals, so he started in the final as the very last, which he was not very happy about. “I thought I was wearing a whip. Of course, it’s the hardest,” he commented on the starting position, which turned out to be advantageous in the end. “It’s even more beautiful when you reach the finish line and see that you put it. That this is it, that’s how it’s done, the results won’t change, I don’t have to wait for anyone anymore. The pressure and all this is of course huge, but when it man kidnaps, it’s all the more beautiful, “he rejoiced.

But he coped with the pressure and did not make a mistake. At first he felt that he was losing easily, but that was not true. Then he accelerated, and in the second split he was more than four seconds ahead of Grigar, the leader at the time. In the final part, he lost slightly compared to the 24-year-old Slovak, but still had an abysmal lead of 3.22 seconds in the finish.

He drove his last ride in Tokyo in the fastest time of day 91.63. “I believed in the bottom, I knew I was trained. I actually pushed it to the finish line. When I took the last gate, it hurt terribly, but I pushed it. Actually, it wasn’t until the last meters that I looked at the timekeeper. and I almost said to myself, ‘You could have gone completely calmly in the straight line you’re worried about here,’ “he said with a smile and a gold medal around his neck.

Luck also shone with happiness, having won only silver in the patrols at the World Championships six years ago. Among individuals, he was the tenth best in the world competition, the eighth at the European Championships, but he finished fifth last time in Rio. “Even as a child, I could never imagine that I would one day stand on the podium with a silver medal. It is a reward for all the hard work,” the 24-year-old kayaker told the Slovak media. “After the finish, I didn’t know if it would be a medal. It’s a water slalom and there were three more ships behind me. And it was silver,” he rejoiced.

In the end, the third Aigner was enthusiastic, winning bronze at the 2012 London Olympics as well. Four years ago in Rio, he was fourth. “I think I can be really happy to come home with bronze. I was afraid I would be fourth again,” admitted the 32-year-old German, who also fought with cramps in the final. “I wasn’t even sure that I would reach the finish line, I had big problems with muscles. Probably because of the heat here. It is practically impossible to drink as much as we sweat here,” Aigner said, appreciating the performance of the Czech winner. “Jiří was paddling another league today, so I’m happy,” he said.