The first Speed Canoe Cup race of the year will take place at Račice from Thursday to Sunday. Olympian Martin Fuksa will also be present at the start. Although his final preparations were slightly interrupted by the viral illness, it was fine. “And I’m sure I haven’t lost the good form I had before,” he told a news conference before the start of the season.
How are you preparing for the new season and how satisfied are you with it?
He is very kind. I started light training in October and in December he was in Turkey for two weeks. I entered the year with a training camp in Livigno, Italy, followed by five weeks in Colombia. The big advantage is the very pleasant warm weather and the opportunity to train at ideal altitudes. All the time I try to listen to my body, so for a while to rest. On the way I got to know other places in this interesting country.
Can you say that you spent five whole weeks?
Certain! I was in a small village that was a tourist area before last year’s Olympics. I love it there, so I want to go back there. In a quiet environment, no one stole our group of five, and I was able to fulfill my training plan in peace. However, we were told about certain places where we were not advised to go for safety reasons, which of course we respected.
How does the Colombian diet suit you?
Their normal food is mostly fried, so they may not be the healthiest and I didn’t find any popularity in them. However, we always find something good and we also enjoy the great selection of fruit and juices.
When you return home, you catch a viral illness. How is it marked on your form?
It will be seen this week on Račice (smile). I feel very good, but the illness slows me down a bit. I haven’t been training for almost a week and my whole body, and maybe my hair, hurts (laughter). But maybe I need a little rest and it’s not in vain to say that everything bad is good for something. Too bad I had to miss the nomination race due to illness.
What are your memories of racing at Račice?
Always very good. I want to remember the wonderful World Cup that happened there five years ago. It only bothered me there that the road leading to the start was very rocky there, which I didn’t like about the boat.
Do you already know which of the top canoes is to come?
I don’t know exactly, but according to the first information, there will be a lot of competition. I decided to race 1000 and 500 meters, which is also a week later for the next World Cup in Poznan and for all the big events of the year. My brother Petr and I agreed that we would not return to Deblkanoi until next year, which is the pre-Olympic year.
And with what ideas or intentions did you enter this season?
They are still the same, so they are medals. This also applies to both championships, although the August European Championships in Munich take place just nine days after the World Championships in Canada. So there’s the question of what impact this tiny little time jump from abroad into Europe will have on us.
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