Josef Dostál named Athlete of the Year 2024 in Czechia
Josef Dostál (L) receives his Athlete of the Year award
PRAGUE, December 24, 2024 - The title of Athlete of the Year 2024 in Czechia went to kayaker Josef Dostál. The Czech Men's Hockey Team won the award for the Team of the Year, while athlete Lurdes Gloria Manuel won the Junior Athlete of the Year award. Milena Duchková-Neveklovská, Olympic champion in diving at Mexico 1968, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and Josef Fuksa, a long-time coach of canoe sprinters and grandfather of this year's Olympic champion Martin Fuksa, received the "Dedication to Sport" award.
Kayaker Josef Dostál attended the award ceremony for the first time in 2011, when he was nominated in the best junior category. He finished second behind speed skater Karolína Erbanová and ahead of his fellow canoeist Martin Fuksa. A year later, he was nominated in the team category, where he took third place as part of the quad kayak team. The 2016 Olympic Games brought Dostál second places among individuals and in teams (again in the quad kayak). In 2017, he took eighth place, but since then he has been missing from the best. He returned in 2024, as the winner.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Dostal finally added gold to his Olympic collection following his victory in the men's kayak single 1000m final. He had one silver and three bronze from his previous three Olympics. Dostál is the 46th athlete to have achieved the Athlete of the Year title in Czechia.
RESULT OF THE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR POLL
1. Josef DOSTÁL (canoe sprint) 1316
2. Barbora KREJČÍKOVÁ (tennis) 1266
3. Martin FUKSA (canoe sprint) 1263
4. Kateřina SINIAKOVÁ (tennis) 1092
5. David PASTRŇÁK (ice hockey) 842
6. Lukáš DOSTÁL (ice hockey) 764
7. Tomáš MACHÁČ (tennis) 764
8. Roman ČERVENKA (ice hockey) 683
9. Nikola OGRODNÍKOVÁ (athletics) 598
10. Jakub VADLEJCH (athletics) 570
TEAM OF THE YEAR
1. Czech hockey players 472
2. Czech fencers (cord players Beran, Jurka, Čupr, Rubeš) 335
3. Sparta football players 202
JUNIOR OF THE YEAR
1. Lurdes Gloria MANUEL (athletics) 53
2. David KRATOCHVÍL (swimming) 35
3. Tomas JÄRVINEN (athletics) 17
Kayaker Josef Dostál attended the award ceremony for the first time in 2011, when he was nominated in the best junior category. He finished second behind speed skater Karolína Erbanová and ahead of his fellow canoeist Martin Fuksa. A year later, he was nominated in the team category, where he took third place as part of the quad kayak team. The 2016 Olympic Games brought Dostál second places among individuals and in teams (again in the quad kayak). In 2017, he took eighth place, but since then he has been missing from the best. He returned in 2024, as the winner.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Dostal finally added gold to his Olympic collection following his victory in the men's kayak single 1000m final. He had one silver and three bronze from his previous three Olympics. Dostál is the 46th athlete to have achieved the Athlete of the Year title in Czechia.
RESULT OF THE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR POLL
1. Josef DOSTÁL (canoe sprint) 1316
2. Barbora KREJČÍKOVÁ (tennis) 1266
3. Martin FUKSA (canoe sprint) 1263
4. Kateřina SINIAKOVÁ (tennis) 1092
5. David PASTRŇÁK (ice hockey) 842
6. Lukáš DOSTÁL (ice hockey) 764
7. Tomáš MACHÁČ (tennis) 764
8. Roman ČERVENKA (ice hockey) 683
9. Nikola OGRODNÍKOVÁ (athletics) 598
10. Jakub VADLEJCH (athletics) 570
TEAM OF THE YEAR
1. Czech hockey players 472
2. Czech fencers (cord players Beran, Jurka, Čupr, Rubeš) 335
3. Sparta football players 202
JUNIOR OF THE YEAR
1. Lurdes Gloria MANUEL (athletics) 53
2. David KRATOCHVÍL (swimming) 35
3. Tomas JÄRVINEN (athletics) 17
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