Four Czech badminton players have officially qualified for the Olympics in Paris

Four Czech badminton players will appear at the same Olympics for the first time. The last time Petr Koukal and Kristína Gavnholt started under five rings was eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro.

“The qualification of four Czech players for the 2024 Olympics in Paris is a historic milestone for Czech badminton, as we have never had four representatives at the Olympics in the past. Among the European federations, we will have the largest representation after badminton powerhouses Denmark, France and Germany, which is a fantastic achievement. I congratulate all four players on fulfilling their dream and above all I wish them good health in preparation and good luck in the tournament itself,” said the chairman of the Czech Badminton Association, Petr Martinec, to the media.

Twenty-five-year-old Louda secured his advance in advance. In the reduced ranking, he finished in 25th place, 38 players qualified for Paris. After progressing to the round of 16 of the European Championship in Saarbrücken, Švábíková also gained more or less certainty in April, finishing twenty-ninth overall.

The former singles Mendrek and Krále have earned the necessary number of points thanks to their performances in recent months. Last October, they also made it to the quarterfinals of the Arctic Open, where they scored 5,040 points, surpassing Koukal’s previous record of 4,900 points fourteen years ago for advancing to the semifinals of the Grand Prix Gold.

The results of the Pan American Championship decided in April that they remained in the last 16th place. The Brazilians Fabricio Farias and Davi Silva or the Mexicans Job Castillo and Luis Montoya Navarro could have knocked them down, but they did not achieve the necessary result.

“It’s a huge relief and a great feeling. Together with Ondra, we rewrote history. The wait was a bit longer, although I already knew from April 30, when the last ranking closed, that we were qualified. But it wasn’t official. Today I can say with a clear conscience that we will be at the Olympic Games. It is a milestone for Czech badminton, what has been achieved,” Mendrek told the media.