Bronze from European Champ Sprint!!!!!
Let’s start at the beginning.
We’ve just arrived in Mercuria Csuc, Romania. Our pulse is pretty high, feelings are very diversed. The journey was one huge experience. Just to pick up the highlights: Holes on the road can be up till 30cm deep (you don’t want your car wheel to go though as it would bet he end of your journey), it became normal to drive for example half on hour on the left side of the road instead of right, just because the left side has only 10cm deep holes in asfalth. I tis minus degrees outside but some woman goues out of the house and wash her clothes in stream next to the road. Or dogs. There are wild dogs running thourgh municipalities. Or you can see 1539 electrocity cabels a tone lamp. Probably electricians don’t repair the cabels when they break down, they just put on more cabel on local lamps. Crazy. But our hotel looks very nice and normal.
The first racing day is here and i tis middle. My favourite one. I have the biggest expectations from this race, probably because last year I performed best in this discipline at EYSOC in Sweden. My goal is top 10, but I am secretlly hoping in topp 6, big podium! The race went pretty well for me, I didn’t do any huge mistake. I ended up 8th, not much behind big podium. Little bit said that it was so close to my big dream but satisfied with my stable performance. Next day is a long distance. I don’t have any big expectation. Our coach Tomáš Aš tells me just to enjoy the race. This help me probably very much as I don’T stress at all and put full focus on my ski-o. I am starting pre-last just ahead of Linda Lindkvist who won yeasterday’s race. I am more than surprised she passed me at the very end of the course. Looks like a good race from me. There were some technical problems so we don’t know any results. Unfortunately, on the way back we have a car accident. Nobody from our team got injured, but the guy in the other car didn’t make it L Rest in peace… However, in the evening I found out I ended up 4th! What an emotional day!!! I really can’t beleive I made my dream come true and I am going to the big podium. The most beautiful moment in my life!
Next day i tis time for sprint. I know I have fullfilled my goal by 110% so I am just going to enjoy the ski-o. I didn’t understand the map very well to the first control, but after that I made a very good performance. It turned out the 1st control was the key control for most of the athletes. Some lost there even couple of minutes. As well as yesterday, we are leaving the competition arena immediately and we don’t know any results. I am full of expectations because I do beleive it could be a good result for me. Results are published. „Johanko, you are 4th“, somebody tells me. „Really? Ohhh, cool! But again unpopular „brambora“. How much behind“ „One second“
…
Tears in my eyes.
…
One second is between me and the European Championship medel.
One second!
…
Tears.
Actually I have the same time as the girl on the 3rd place, i am just 0,4second behind!
…
I am not that excited at today’s price giving ceremony. You would hardly find a smile on my face. But later on, everything turns out. I am told that at this kind of race the time counts on full seconds which means that I should have the same time as the girl on 3rd place. Next two hours are the most emotional hours in my life. Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no.
It is clear! We are two girls sharing the same time, two bronze medals!!!!!!
The next day I am put to run in the World Junior Championship Realy team, even if being still youth class. Unfortunately, the organizer didn’t give met he map in time so I was putting my map in the map holder on the way to the first control. I was going „naslepo“ following others. I risked and I went to the wrong forking. I tried to catch the girls but the physical level of junior girls was much better than mine. It was my worst performace from whole week, but Katka Neumannova and Zuzka Kubátová made a very good race and we ended up 5th! 5th place at World Junior Championship!
Last evening, relay price giving ceremony.
That’s all. Our coach gets pissed off and goes to remind the organizers they should make a new ceremony for our yesterday’s sprint. Organizers aren’t able to make it so they just call me to come to the podium, congratulate and give me a diplome. No flag hanging, no medal. Later on they apologize they don’t have any spare medal and they will snd it to me later by post. It is amazing to be officially on bronze position but I’m missing that feeling standing on the small podium watching the Czech flag going up.
There is only one thing I can do – get to the top 3 position again! And that is my huge motivation for the future. I know one day I will make it!
