Reporter Tomáš Borovec asked the Hradec Ironman winner for an interview after the race.
Petro, when was the decision made that soon after the Olympic triathlon you would go to the Hradek Ironman?
“I thought about it for a long time, but the final decision really came only after the Olympic Games. So 14 days before this race. I knew that I was in good shape physically, because I trained a lot for the Olympics. But in Paris, unfortunately, the race didn’t quite work out for me. So I wanted to use that form at the next race. And I think it was the right decision.”
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How many times have you tried this half distance of the big Ironman?
“For me, this was the first Ironman. So it was a big premiere. But sometimes it’s better when you don’t know what you’re getting into. I tried to think of the race as a good training, so as not to burn out. And it worked.”
Did you ever encounter any crisis on the track? It was very stuffy, which could have been unpleasant.
“I think it helped me when I swam well. I kept waiting for the girls to pass me on the bike, but luckily that didn’t happen. It wasn’t until 20 kilometers before the end of the cycling part that a British woman overtook me.”
You are strong in running, the British woman who eventually finished second in the race is, on the other hand, an excellent cyclist. Maybe you don’t know yourself that much because you don’t run Ironman, but did you believe in the final running part?
“I didn’t know the girls at all. But when I arrived at the depot, the British woman was still changing into her socks. So it helped me that her lead wasn’t that big. Of course, I was confident in running, but again I was worried about getting cramps after cycling, so I started running rather cautiously. I think it paid off for me.”
Triathlete Petra Kuříková|photo: Personal archive of Petra Kuříková
How did you swim in the center of Hradec Králové in the Labe, where hundreds of fans lined both banks of the river?
“It was wonderful. I really enjoyed the fact that there weren’t many of us at the start, so I could swim at my own pace. There wasn’t quite the battle like in the Olympic triathlon. So swimming in the river, where there were fans from both sides, was really beautiful.”
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Are you wondering where your limits are? Because you are excellent in sprint triathlon events, also in Olympic triathlon and finally in half Ironman such an amazing result.
“I think that the girls from the half Ironman and us from the Olympic triathlon train very similarly. So it’s very comparable. I will probably try a few more half ironmans in the next few years. Or even this year.”
When you talk about a half Ironman, isn’t the full, full legendary Ironman hidden somewhere in your head?
“Never say never. But for now, frankly, I can’t imagine it at all.”
But you liked it in Hradec Králové, so they can look forward to your next participation with Iroman in the next two years?
“I hope that this beautiful race will be maintained and the tradition will continue. If that is the case, I will be very happy to start here again.”
Triathlete Petra Kuříková stated after her victory at the first ever half Iromnan in the territory of the Czech Republic in Hradec Králové.
