Snowboardcrosser Eva Adamczyková at a press conference on February 24, 2023, Prague.
Prague – According to the coach of the Czech snowboard crossers, Marek Jelínek, Eva Adamczyková rides better than before more than a year after a severe leg injury and can fight for a good result at the World Championships in Bakuriani this week. He told reporters that he is not even worried about the mixed team race, after which the three-time World Cup winner broke both legs above the ankles in December 2021. During the preparation, the Olympic champion from Sochi tried to practice riding in a group as much as possible, and she will defend her two-year-old bronze medal in Georgia.
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“About six months ago, I thought that Evka would never ride like before because she has limitations in her ankles. But I am constantly surprised. After the last training sessions, Evka rides the same and maybe even better than before the injury,” Jelínek said. “There is a handicap that she hasn't ridden with people for a long time and is not comfortable among them, which was shown in the last race in Cortina, where the competitor in front of her jumped on the foot of the board and fell. But we tried to eliminate that now,” added the coach.
Adamczyková completed four World Cup events in the season, her best being fourth in the second race in Cervinia. The 2019 world champion also trained with the male representatives in preparation. “I think she has also improved a lot in this tactical aspect of riding and I am looking forward to the World Championships. At the beginning at the first press conference I said that I would be happy if Evka rode at least one race this year. Eventually there will be more and she can to fight for a good position at the World Championship,” said Jelínek.
Qualification is scheduled for Thursday, a day later the final race. Team races will be held on Saturday, March 4. In this discipline, the native of Vrchlabí injured herself the year before in Montafon, Austria.
“It was extremely lucky in the accident that Evka's injury did not happen while driving, but after the finish line. There are no traumas or consequences. She should not have done the finishing maneuver then and she will not do it now either. That is her advantage, that there is nothing afraid and not afraid. It has no effect,” Jelínek pointed out.
The snowboard crossers spent a week in Lower Moravia preparing for the top event. “We had our own track, which we shared with the people, but it was quite decent. We had scooters and the opportunity to influence the track. We built three starting straights there and made jumps, so that the tops that had to be flown over, they were 21 and 24 meters. The competitors there reached a speed of around 80 kilometers per hour. We don't have such conditions anywhere else, so it was great,” recounted Jelínek.
Two years ago, Adamczyková applied the delayed tactic at the World Cup in Bakuriani start. Jelínek had no idea yet whether he would join her in Georgia at the World Championship. “We use it when we think it's needed. It usually comes from some training or a race before, when we find out that it's difficult to win from the first position. But it's a risk,” Jelínek said.
< p>Adamczyková could be helped by the fact that she will also fulfill the role of a test rider in Bakuriani before the races. In addition to driving the track the day before the official practice, he will be able to influence its profile a bit. “In Bakuriani, there is a long and relatively easy finish line at the end, so if the girls follow Evka there, they will follow her. We'll see about the conditions. For us, the more difficult the track, the better it will be. Evka is now in form, that he can overcome everything that he did before the injury. We will decide on the spot,” Jelínek added.
