Prskavec kept his chance to compete in the Olympic Paris as well as in the canoe

“I’m happy that it turned out this way and that I’m extending it until the European Championship,” Prskavec praised himself in a recording for the media. The two-time world champion in kayaking began to devote himself to canoeing in the fall of 2021. Last year, he already made it to the national team and now he has confirmed his position. He beat the Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo Lukáš Rohan by 1.16 seconds. “I’ve improved a bit again in the canoe and we’ll see how it will look in the world,” added Prskavec.

Rohan has the best fight for the Olympics. He was the best Czech canoeist at last year’s WC, from which he also has two bonus points thanks to fourth place, and he finished second behind Prskavec in the national nomination. Prskavec could overtake him only if he was the best of the Czechs at the EC and also won a medal. Václav Chaloupka is the 2021 world champion in a similar position to Prskavec.

Among female kayakers, Antonie Galušková came closer to the Olympics, winning Sunday’s race and the overall ranking of the nomination. After Saturday’s setback, when she didn’t even make it to the final, she was under a lot of pressure.

“I knew that if I wanted to win the nomination, I had to win. I have to say that I was nervous as hell, I doubted myself as hell, but as soon as the photocell sounded, I said to myself that I’m going to screw it up. That I’m going to put everything into it and either it works or it doesn’t,” she said.

Together with her, Kateřina Beková and Gabriela Satková are in the team, last year’s representatives Amálie Hilgertová and Tereza Fišerová remained out of the game this time. Galušková is the only one with points from last year’s WC. Only great success at the EC would help her competitors to participate in the Olympics, as two out of three competitions are evaluated. “If one of the girls had a medal from the European Championship and I was behind her, she would go,” explained Galušková.

Tereza Kneblová was the overall best in the nomination of female canoeists thanks to Sunday’s victory. She will be joined by Gabriela and Martina Satkova in the team. Also in this category, the Olympic participant will be decided only at the European Championship.

It was clear about Paris among the kayakers, where Prskavec already took the place last year. Vít Přindiš and Jakub Krejčí secured two other places in the representative trio. 2017 World Champion Ondřej Tunka finished just behind them, despite Sunday’s victory. Although he also won the opening race in Veltrusy, he counted Saturday’s eighth place from Prague as his third result.

On Sunday, from 5:10 p.m. in Troja, there will be a time trial of kaykacross, which will definitively decide on the nomination in this new Olympic discipline. The specialist would make it to the Olympics if one of the Czech representatives finished in third place at the June world nomination in Prague.