Top 10 Current Czech Female Athletes

Imagine: going to work, getting the goulash on the table, and training for an Olympic sport – Czech women are tough cookies. It might be this inner strength that’s the equalizer when competing against countries with a larger population, more funding and better training facilities. Perhaps it’s the boredom of village life, since nine out of the ten athletes mentioned aren’t even from Prague. Of course, never overlook the obvious; they might just be more talented. Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that Czech women excel at sports. Let’s take a look at some of the contemporary, standout athletes.

Women with guns – husbands everywhere are cringing. What? You were at the hospoda after work, again…yikes! That is, unless your husband is an Olympian rifleman as well. This so happens to be the case for Kateřina Emmons, who won the bronze medal for Women’s Air Rifle in the 2004 Olympics and picked-up sharpshooting husband Matt Emmons in the process. In the 2008 Olympics, she added a gold and silver medal to her collection. Her first competitive sport was actually swimming, but when an illness put the kibosh on that, her champion-shooter father aimed her towards rifle shooting.

Czechs don’t seem much into team sports (except, of course, hockey and football), preferring a nice bike ride or run down the ski slopes. It might come as a surprise, then, to learn that women’s basketball is on the up and up here. In the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women, the Czechs had a dream run, placing second in the title game. As the first Czech woman drafted into the WNBA, Eva made history in 1997 when she joined the Cleveland Rockers, eventually playing for 5 seasons. During her time in the WNBA, she garnered the honor of All-WNBA first team in 1997 and second team in 1998.

Row, row, row your boat gently up the stream…cheesy, but I couldn’t resist. Miroslava Knapková, world champion oarswoman in 2011 in Lake Bled, Slovenia, and winner of the World Cup 2002 and 2009, used to practice athletics. At the age of 19, she stopped swimming against the current and gave into her family’s rowing legacy (both her parents previously represented Czechoslovakia in rowing). In addition to her international accolade, Miroslava is a seven-time winner of the famous Prague competition Pražské primátorky na skifu.

“Eastern” Europe and tennis are definitely enjoying a steamy love affair at the moment. With Victoria Azarenka from Belarus in the number one spot and Maria Sharapova from Russia in at number two, competition is stiff. Petra Kvitová has fought her way into the number three ranking and some predict 2012 will be her year to break into number one. Known for her fast left-handed serve, Kvitová has won 7 WTA titles and was a Grand Slam winner at the tender age of twenty-one. Luckily, the fame hasn’t gone to her head; Czech fans often admire Petra for her down-to-earth attitude, and lack of the usual stardom shenanigans.

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Wouldn’t you all like thighs of steel? I sure would. It’s as easy as going to your local DYI shop, buying a sheet of plastic laminate, and spraying it with anti-dust spray. Next, slide back and forth on it with knit stockings from your grandma. Well, that’s actually part of Olympic-gold-medal speedskater Martina Sáblíková’s training regime. Since there’s no speedskating stadium in the Czech Republic, she had to rely on her coach’s ingenuity and her raw talent. Both have served her well, judging from the Olympic medals and world records piling up. This includes being the first woman to skate 10,000m in under 14 minutes.

Golf has always had a fashion unto itself, with its plus four trousers and polo shirts, but Klára Spilková can really claim bragging rights in that department; her brother, Lukáš Spilka, custom designs all of her golf outfits. Not only does she look good, but as the youngest member of the Ladies European Tour, she has proven she can tee off with the best of them. She started golfing at the age of four and turned pro at sixteen. With a team of experts in tote – psychologist, physiotherapist, manager and coach – she competes in the European Tour, while off the green she works on finishing her high school degree.

Often spotted savoring an after-training beer at U Pinkasů, where she was awarded special “permanent member status,” nobody would guess she’s the world record holder in the javelin throw. In the 2008 Olympics she bested her previous personal record and brought home the gold, but in the same year, during the IAAF World Athletics final, she topped that with a world record throw of 72.28m. Originally, she was a heptathlete, but during her years at the University of Minnesota, she specialized in the javelin throw.

It comes as no surprise that the Czechs are good at winter sports – I swear they ski out the birth canal. Joking aside, we have all seen those little tots on the slopes, fearless and ferocious, while some adults (who shall remain nameless) are shaking in their ski boots at the hill before them. Šárka Záhorbská, who specializes in slalom alpine ski racing, possesses more courage (and ability) than most. With her father as coach, she’s amassed various medals, including gold at the 2007 World Championships and bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics.