Baku is known for the local shooting range. How did the race go from your point of view?
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I made five mistakes in the basic part and shot in the eighth for six places in the semifinals, it worked out for me. I missed it once, but in the final I gave all thirty-five targets, which is a new final world record. At the same time, at this shooting range and in the maximum world competition, it didn’t seem like any success at first. In the final, everything fit together as it should. When I knew I had a medal, I concentrated on making it golden. Al Rashidi from Kuwait made one mistake, I did not make one.
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You won the World Cup for the third time in your career, in 2014 it was in Beijing, two years later in San Marino. Can the victories be compared?
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They don’t, I don’t even remember the course of the first one. The competition is getting bigger, one mistake can knock you out of the top ten. After the first day in Baku, David Kostelecký led, the second day did not work out for him and he finished in the third ten. In this, sport shooting is relentless. By shooting the complete top in the World Cup, the gold medal has a high value. It is approaching last year’s Olympic triumph from Tokyo. As an Olympic winner, I am more in the spotlight, only medals are expected of you, but this is far from the case. The result is important to me, it was good, despite some mistakes. I made up the tenth place in the world in Lonat, where I missed maybe one shot in the semifinals. The victory in Baku will definitely help me mentally before the most important races of the season, in which it will be about participating in the Olympic Paris.
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Has the World Cup winner not yet received a ticket to Paris?
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No, it won’t be out of the World Cup until next year. But I have important points in the rankings, the best one, if the participant does not hit elsewhere, will get it. That too can come in handy. But I’d rather shoot the Olympics in the race. There will be two places in the game at the European Championships in Larnaca in August, and four in September at the World Championships in Osijek. The sooner I hit Paris, the better, because then I will be fulfilled for this cycle. I believe it will work as soon as possible.
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Will you no longer shoot in Baku?
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I completed Tuesday’s team race, and then I have time off. David Kostelecký will still have a mixed race together with Zina Hrdličková on Wednesday. We only have one woman left, there is none left for me (laughs).
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After winning the Olympics in Tokyo, you went from one social event to another. Can you say that you are already in the usual racing and training mode?
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On the one hand, yes, but we have been in Baku for more than a week and are looking forward to going home. There is a Children’s Day waiting for me, then the events of the South Moravian Region at the Brno Dam. I’m used to it, I’m most looking forward to the family.
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What awaits you before the European and World Championships?
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We have canceled our participation in the World Cup in South Korea. On the one hand, it is far away, and most importantly, it is not ideal when it comes to metal. We don’t want to take risks. We take part in several races at home and possibly in the surrounding states. The highlight of the preparation will be the domestic championship. We also want to focus on honing technology to avoid unnecessary mistakes as much as possible. I’ve been shooting for twenty-five years, but I’m far from perfect, like everyone else. When you want to be number one, it’s a real chase (laughs). Maybe there will be time to rest.
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You and David Kostelecký provided accommodation for the former Ukrainian national team coach Aleksey Klekov and his family at the Brno shooting range in Soběšice after they fled from shelled Kiev. Does he talk to you in training?
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Not at all! He likes to look at us, and for example he says his opinion at coffee when we analyze mistakes, but as an impartial observer who understands shooting. He doesn’t force anything on us. Our national team coach is Petr Hrdlička, the Olympic trap winner from Barcelona, a great expert. We lent a shotgun to Alexei, gave him a couple of cartridges, so he even shot himself in the race. We also provided him with a car service. It is said that the situation in Kiev is calmer, he and his loved ones are missing, so they want to return home in the first half of June. We understand him. We’re glad we could help him.
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