This season? Almost perfect, says Vadlejch. He spends his free time with his family and cycling

Could you pick one moment out of it all?
Probably not one, there were a lot of them. The world performance of the year, the Diamond League final in Eugene, where I also overthrew my old rival Níraj Čopra. And the world championship medals? It was bronze, but it was there. That’s maybe a bit of a one-off. But then again, it’s my third medal, which I don’t get tired of. Three more.

How are you enjoying your post-season break?
I’m about to finish, I’ll get back to business in a moment. I have had a Czech and foreign vacation and, above all, a lot of time spent with my family.

They say a lot of time on the bike.
Yes. I really like the bike and I always spend a lot of time on it after the season. So I’m trying, because there isn’t that much time.

Which profile do you like best?
I am originally from the south-west of Bohemia. There are only hills. I like them, even though I ride them slowly, for example I ride on Kvilda. Once, when I used the bike even more, I was able to ride over a hundred kilometers for five days. So I have the endurance, but not the weight, which is not exactly ideal for cycling.

Didn’t you compete with another renowned athlete-cyclist Jakub Holuša?
I will never measure up to him. He weighs a hundred kilograms less than me, in this he has an advantage (smile).

Do you also ride a bike during the season? Many athletes say that they lose explosiveness, speed on it.
Just. I don’t ride at all during the season. After the season, I have it as part of gaining endurance. However, if I included it in the preparation, I would lose the absolute dynamism that I need in the javelin.

What will your preparation for the next season actually look like? Is there room for some experiments in an Olympic year?
Everything, I think, shows that we are doing it well. That we are on the right track. So nothing will change. I just have to stay perfectly healthy, bite through the training doses and then let the world enjoy.

So what kind of concentration are waiting for you?
We start in the Czech Republic – the classic Špindlerův Mlýn. It will be about two weeks, and then we will slowly move to the Canaries, where we will warm up a bit. In the middle, maybe towards the end of February, we will fly to Africa again.

Is there anything you really don’t look forward to in preparation?
Preparation hurts. This one will hurt too. But I enjoy the pain. I enjoy every moment of my career and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Are you already counting down the days to the Paris Games?
Not quite yet, but I’m looking forward to it. During my free time, I tried to put athletics out of my head. I needed to get a taste. But day by day it will change. I believe that I will have five circles in my head.