Defender Ondřej Vitásek returned to the World Hockey Championship after seven years, but he suffered fractures of two ribs during the opening match in Riga and his return to the ice is in the stars. “It’s no glory and I would be lying if I said that I was mentally well,” says the 30-year-old Liberec player when asked what his current state of health is.
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From left, defender Ondřej Vitásek from the Czech Republic and forward Anton Burdasov from Russia.
Vít Šimánek, ČTK
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His injuries were caused by a seemingly normal hit in the second third of Friday’s match with the Russian team. “I got a body, I don’t even know exactly from whom. It stabbed me sharply on the left side of my chest, but I continued to play with it. In match mode, you have such adrenaline in your body that you can just grit your teeth and go over the threshold of a certain pain. Everything will only become apparent when you get off the ice, “says Vitásek
But when he couldn’t breathe properly the night after the first match, he realized it would be a more serious problem, and a medical examination in Riga did confirm two broken ribs. “Hats off to him that he finished the match, which is completely incomprehensible to me. Unfortunately, Ondra dropped us out of the lineup, “explains assistant coach Martin Straka.
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Already on Saturday’s match with the Swiss, Vitásek watched only from the auditorium, the same awaits him on Monday night during a duel with Belarus. “I try to live normally with the team, I take part in meetings, I also go to the cabin, but the injured ribs not only allow me not to go on the ice, but I can’t normally make any sharp movements,” Vitásek explains. In addition, I sleep quite badly, because despite the painkillers, every turn on the bed wakes me up, “he says sadly.
Ice Hockey World Championship 2021
The World Hockey Championship is in progress from May 21 to June 6 in Latvia. All group matches and play off hosts Riga. The Czech national team plays in group A. Zlato from 2019 defends the selection of Finland, the Czechs will try to improve the fourth place.
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Vitásek still stays in Riga, but he cannot train or play. “The worst thing is that I was really looking forward to the championship, he was absolutely excited about the nomination, and then this is what I will meet right at the first performance. It’s really hard to absorb it, “regrets a participant in the 2018 Pyongyang Olympic tournament, who played 48 matches for the national team.
He will hardly add another at this year’s World Cup. “I feel better against the initial moment. I still hope that it could still work after a few days of peace, “the Czech national team is not losing faith.
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