Biathlon World Championships – Mixed Relay, February 8, 2023 in Oberhof. Tomáš Mikyska from the Czech Republic.
Oberhof (Germany) – While some biathletes relax by listening to music or reading before the start of the world championships in Oberhof, Tomáš Mikyska is fond of computer games. The 23-year-old representative nicknamed “Tomba la Bomba” would also like to try the Formula 1 esports league, which he follows passionately. He told Czech journalists that, as a fan of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, he wants to visit the British Grand Prix.
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“It can't be said that I tame myself before my races. For example, before the relay, I still played in the morning because I needed to distract myself a bit, as I was nervous. During the games, I can switch off and not think about it,” said Mikyska .
The native of Ústí nad Orlicí belongs to the generation of young biathletes in the national team alongside Jonáš Mareček, Jakub Štvrtecký and Mikuláš Karlík. In his world championship debut, he finished fifth in Wednesday's medley relay. “I was aware that it was my first World Championship and there was nervousness. In the end I managed it and we'll see how it will be in the sprint,” he said before today's race, which starts at 14:30.
The nickname Tomba la Bomba, earned by the Italian skier and three-time Olympic champion Alberto Tomba, was given to Mikysk by a friend from the junior team, Luděk Abrahám. “He started calling me Tomba, then la Bomba was added and now everyone calls me that,” said Mikyska.
He likes to play football with Michal Krčmář on the Playstation, he also enjoys Counter-Strike or League of Legends. However, anything related to Formula 1 is a special passion for him. At the World Cup in Anterselva, he had with him a biography of Kimi Räikkönen or a book on building cars by Red Bull designer Adrian Newey. He also took collector's cards to Oberhof.
“I'm a Mercedes fan, but more specifically Hamilton. I started watching it when he made his debut in 2007. Dad was a McLaren fan and Lewis was driving for him at the time. I liked how raced and I've followed him ever since,” said Mikyska.
A memorable moment for him came in 2008, when Hamilton won his first championship after a dramatic finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix. At that time, the Brit won the fifth place in the last corners, which was enough for him to win the title at the expense of his home Felipe Massa from Ferrari. “During the last lap, I was a little scared that he didn't win. I even cried a little, but in the end it turned out well,” recalled Mikyska with a smile.
He had never been to a Formula 1 race before and would like to changed in the future. The closest businesses are in Austria and Hungary. “Perhaps the best would be Silverstone,” he mentioned his favorite Hamilton's home race.
Thanks to his interest in computer games, he bought a steering wheel two years ago. “It caught my eye and I thought I'd get an even better one so that it would resist and be closer to reality,” said Mikyska.
He has already competed against real opponents on the Internet and thinks that he would sign up for the Czech esports league in the future. “When I looked at the criteria, they said that I had to drive three fast laps on one circuit. This year it was Silverstone, which I can do the best. But in the end I failed because I hadn't fully trained for it,” added Mikyska . Maybe he will try to fulfill this challenge next year.
