Illustrative photo – Track cycling – illustrative image from October 16, 2022 in Paris.
Grenchen (Switzerland) – On Wednesday, the European track cycling championship will begin in Grenchen, Switzerland. During five days, 16 Czech representatives will present themselves at the championship, who will begin the fight for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Eight competitors will enter the sprint and endurance disciplines. Experienced Tomáš Bábek is missing.
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“We have a relatively young team, especially in the men's category, so it will probably be difficult for us to attack the medal ranks. But for sure everyone is going into it with maximum effort, because Europe is the first qualifying race towards the Olympics in Paris. That's why there will be a really top class competition,” national coach Milan Kadlec said in a press release.
Petra Ševčíková and Kateřina Kohoutková have the best hopes for a top position in madison, Ševčíková also has promising prospects in scratch. “She is last year's European champion of the 23-year-old from scratch, so she certainly has a chance for a good result even now. Barbora Němcová and Radovan Štec are also junior world champions, now they have their first comparison with great competition. We'll see how they can cope with it, ” said Kadlec.
Thirty-five-year-old Bábek, European champion from 2016 in the keirin and from 2020 in the one-kilometer race with a fixed start, will meet in Switzerland, as well as, for example, Milan Kadlec, the son of the national team coach. Last year's junior world and European champion was not released by his new DSM road team. “It will be a noticeable weakening, but nothing can be done. From the point of view of qualification for the Olympics, every position can be crucial, so we have to fight,” said coach Kadlec.
Nomination of Czech track and field athletes for the European Championships in Grenchen:
Men: Jan Voneš (omnium, madison), Adam Křenek (point race), Denis Rugovac (elimination race), Radovan Štec (scratch, madison), Dominik Topinka (sprint, keirin , team sprint), Jakub Šťastný (team sprint), Matěj Hytych (1 km with fixed start), Robin Wagner (1 km with fixed start, team sprint), Martin Čechman (keirin, sprint),
women: Petra Ševčíková (omnium, scratch, madison), Kateřina Kohoutková (madison), Kristýna Burlová (scoring race), Barbora Němcová (elimination race), Veronika Jaborníková (team sprint, 500 m with fixed start, keirin, sprint), Anna Jaborníková (sprint, keirin, team sprint), Natálie Mikšaníková (team sprint, 500 m with fixed start).
