Czech medal euphoria on the water. Kayaker Dostál has Olympic gold

He crossed the target cell, took off his sunglasses, looked at the scoreboard and exclaimed in amazement, “I won it?!” Yes, He made it just became Olympic champion for the first time in his career.

“I couldn’t believe it at the finish,” the Czech giant, who finished fifth on the royal track three years ago in Tokyo, told Czech Television.

You went to Paris for a medal. “When I saw what Martin Fuksa did with his phenomenal performance and heard the Czech national anthem, I thought it was unbelievable, but possible. I knew that if I rode what we were working on, it could be for a medal.”

A hug and a kiss from the fiancee

He made it to the medal positions right from the start, moved to the top 300 meters before the end and kept his lead. He left behind both chasing Hungarians – the second Ádám Varga and the third defender of the gold from Tokyo, Bálint Kopasz.

Photogallery: Josef Dostál’s medal joy

She celebrated with Dostál at the finish line and his fiancee Anežka Paloudováwho took seventh place in the 500 in the B final of kayakers and finished fifteenth overall. When he climbed out of the ship, she threw herself into his arms. “I wanted to enjoy the first emotions with Anežka, I’m glad that she did it for me. She told me that I’m the best guy in the world, that she’s known it for a long time, but now I’ve shown it to the whole world and everyone will know it,” revealed Dostál with a smile.

After the victory, he admitted that he felt enormous pressure before the race. “It was very emotionally demanding. Throughout the Games, when the Czech team had few medals, I felt the pressure to win one and help.”

Thanks to Dostál and Fuksa, the Czech balance in Paris increased from two to four medals in two days – three gold and one bronze.