Z Dostal is an aggressive bull. He watches sugar and was looked at like a fool in California

You have already experienced the atmosphere of the Olympic Games three times. Regarding the comparison with previous preparations, did you enter this year’s with any changes?

There were even several of them. Above all, with a new coach, Pavle Davídek, with a different content of training, with a modified menu and with a new boat. It’s red with black stripes, so I feel like an aggressive bull in it.

After returning from the Olympics in Tokyo, you made no secret that after the finals you ate almost an entire cone of hunting salami and that you enjoyed dill sauce after returning to Prague. You probably didn’t find that in the edited menu…

So not that. Sometimes I had to settle for semolina porridge with nuts. I’ve eaten it before, but it was sweeter. However, I have started monitoring my blood sugar closely and I can say that it is having an effect. First of all, my weight went down to 108 kilos, I ride faster, I have more energy.

Did you miss Czech food in California, where you go almost every year?

Karolína Paloudová cooked for us and it was a kind of mix. Sometimes I also enjoyed the sauce, but it was always a varied diet that helped me eliminate the previous fluctuations in my sugar level, which I had, for example, before and after training.

You are an avid fisherman. How satisfied are you with your bill so far this year?

If I had the same form in kayaking, I would definitely be happy with a medal. I didn’t forget about fishing in California either. I even went to the tourist beach with my fishing gear.

Didn’t you surprise the locals?

The people there looked at me like I was crazy and made no secret that they had never seen such a guy there before. And surprisingly, I managed to catch some perch there, which I enjoyed in the evening. I went fishing and boating twice and was also successful.

So did the concentration live up to your expectations?

Certainly! There is beautiful warm weather, the necessary boats, we had a team of friends there, including a Czech cook, so home conditions. So overall, full satisfaction…

Why do you only want to compete in singles at the Olympics?

The quadruple kayak is not on the program of the Games, and Radek Šlouf and I, with whom we finished third at the Olympics in Tokyo, are not doing so well in the doubles after changing the course from one kilometer to 500 meters.