Weekend headlines: Czech opera singer Soňa Červená passes away

Kenyan runner Alexander Mutiso won the Prague International Marathon with a time of 2:05:09, breaking a thirteen-year-old track record by half a minute. Ethiopian runner Workenesh Edesa was the fastest woman with a time of 2:20:42. Czech runners Vít Pavlišta and Moira Stewartová won the Czech championship in the men's and women's categories, respectively.

The race had around 10,000 runners starting from Wenceslas Square. Mutiso's strategy was to run alone at the end and it paid off as he crossed the finish line unthreatened by anyone.

Opera singer and actress Soňa Červená passed away at the age of 97 at a Prague hospital this morning after a prolonged hospitalization. The National Theatre, where Červená was a former soloist, announced her passing on social media this morning. "We mourn the loss of emeritus soloist of the National Theatre, Ms. Soňa Červená. May she rest in peace," the theater writes.

Červená was born on September 6, 1925, in Brno. She began her career as an opera singer in the 1950s and later transitioned to acting, appearing in numerous films and television shows. She was known for her powerful voice and dramatic performances, and was a beloved figure in the Czech cultural scene. Throughout her career, Červená performed at prestigious venues around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the Royal Opera House in London.

Dominik Unčovský and his team have won the national round of the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition with their rabbit dish inspired by a traditional Czech method of butchering and a potato trdelník dessert. The competition, judged by a panel of 30 professionals, featured 10 finalists who were given five hours and 35 minutes to prepare two dishes, one with rabbit and the other vegetarian.

Unčovský, who received a prize of CZK 100,000, will now represent the Czech Republic in next year's European round in Trondheim, Norway. The Bocuse d'Or competition was founded in 1987 by French chef Paul Bocuse to showcase the hard work and dedication of chefs.

The Czech Republic's national hockey team secured a 4-3 victory over Sweden during the Czech Hockey Games tournament in Brno on Saturday. Forwards Daniel Voženílek and Ondřej Beránek both contributed three points each with a goal and two assists. With four points, the Czech team now leads the standings and have secured at least second place in the tournament.

The Czech team will wrap up this year's Czech Hockey Games with a game against Switzerland on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. It's their final warm-up game for the World Championships, which kick off next week. The Czech team will kick off this year's hockey world cup with a game against Slovakia on Friday in Riga.

The coronation of Britain's King Charles III can be seen as a unifying event during a time when Britain is in turmoil, Czech President Petr Pavel told journalists on Saturday. The coronation was a great experience, said Pavel, who was among hundreds of guests invited to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Pavel spoke of the coronation as an important symbol that could offer "something unifying" to the British people, though the monarchy is far from universally supported. "Being in the cathedral is an experience in itself," Pavel said from the Czech Embassy in London. "And to be there on that occasion, to see all the guests who were there, and to feel the atmosphere, the music... it really was a great experience."

Petra Kvitová, currently the Czech Republic's top-ranked tennis player, has announced that she will not be participating in the upcoming Italian Open in Rome due to ongoing issues with her right foot. Kvitová had already missed the Stuttgart Open and will now also be absent from the Rome event, which traditionally serves as a warm-up for the French Open.

Last week in Madrid, Kvitová lost an opening-round match to Germany's Jule Niemeier. The Czech tennis star, currently ranked 10th in the world by the WTA, has been struggling with foot problems for some time and has only played one match on clay this season.

A portion of the D1 highway from Prague to Brno was closed Saturday following an accident involving local supporters of the controversial Russian motorcycle club Night Wolves, police spokesperson Michaela Richter told journalists. Three of the motorcyclists were hospitalized, one with serious injuries, and a rescue helicopter was employed at the scene of the accident.

"They were travelling from northern Moravia and police knew about their ride. However, they were not foreigners and were not wearing any symbols that would be in violation of the law," Richter said. The Night Wolves, a Russian motorcycle club with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, began a "patriotic" ride from Moscow to Berlin at the end of April.

King Charles III organized a reception at Buckingham Palace for politicians and foreign leaders last evening ahead of his coronation ceremony today. The star of the event was his daughter-in-law, Princess Kate of Wales. Among the guests was Czech President Petr Pavel, who attended the reception with his wife and had the opportunity to exchange a few words with King Charles III.

According to the president, the new king "beamed" when Pavel mentioned the Czech Republic, and recalled his past visits to the country. "I told him that he will always be welcome [in the Czech Republic]," Pavel told journalists after greeting the king. "I invited him [to come back], of course." Read more about where to watch today's coronation ceremony from Prague here.

On Friday evening, police in the Vysočina region were called to assist Czech Railways in removing a group of around 20 foreign passengers from a train traveling from Austria to Prague. The passengers were reportedly drinking alcohol and causing disturbances, including harassing other passengers and damaging the train's interior.

Police intervened at Havlíčkův Brod train station and removed the disruptive passengers from the train. "Approximately twenty foreigners traveled by train from Austria to Prague," police wrote on Twitter. "On the way, they drank alcohol, harassed passengers with their behavior and damaged the internal equipment of the carriage."

The Czech Republic's national hockey team is ranked as the fourth biggest favorite to win the upcoming World Championship, according to bookmakers. The tournament will take place in Tampere and Riga from May 12th. The top favorites to win the gold medal, according to betting offices approached by Czech News Agency, are Canada and defending champion Finland.

The Czech team, led by coach Kari Jalonen, will be looking to improve on their fourth-place finish at last year's tournament. The team will be led by NHL stars such as Jakub Voráček, David Pastrňák, and Tomáš Hertl. Other key players include goaltender Pavel Francouz and defenseman Filip Hronek.

Czech model and actress Pavlína Pořízková has announced a new relationship with American screenwriter, producer, and director Jeff Greenstein, whose credits include Friends, Will and Grace, and Desperate Housewives. Pořízková shared the news on social media, thanking everyone for their support and revealed that the two had been dating for three months.

Pořízková's previous relationship was with screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin, whom she dated for a few months in 2021. The model and actress was previously married to musician Ric Ocasek, with whom she has two sons. Ocasek passed away in 2019.