Dostál’s decision was not an easy one, because he spent his entire adult career with former coach Karel Leština. “After the training camp in Livigno, I decided to change my coach after ten years. Under Karel’s leadership, I managed to win four medals from the Olympic Games and ten precious metals from the World Championships, so I would like to thank him for his cooperation,” says Dostál.
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“They were years well spent, but after such a long time I needed a change,” continues the twenty-nine-year-old kayaker, who has recently agreed to work with former partner Pavle Davídek.
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Kayaker Josef Dostál in an archive picture.Photo: Vlastimil Vacek, The law
“I’ve known Pavel for a long time, we’ve even been training together in a group since 2015, and we’ve sat down as people since the beginning. He knows me very well, so he knows when I need to add to my training and when, on the contrary, to take away,” explains Dostál.
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Josef Dostál is one of the biggest Czech hopes for a gold medal.Photo: Archive of Josef Dostál
In addition to his top career, Davídek managed to graduate with a doctorate in physiotherapy, which Dostál appreciates. “He definitely has an interesting perspective on training, where he can introduce new methods and focus on me doing all the exercises correctly physiologically.”
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“Furthermore, Pavel has been actively paddling at the highest level so far, so he has enormous experience and can empathize very well with the position of a competitor. In the past, I consulted with him about my preparation, so our cooperation was actually the most natural,” adds the more than two-meter Olympian.
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The lucky kayaker Josef Dostál came away with a silver and bronze medal from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Photo: Vlastimil Vacek, The law
And what does the new coach say about the cooperation with Dostál? “It’s a huge challenge and also a change, because until now I took care of Pep from the point of view of physiotherapy. We went through the entire pre-Olympic preparation together, which culminated in Tokyo. Now I’ll be in a different position, but I’m already looking forward to working together,” says Davídek.
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