The Czech Republic, officially named Czechia by the IOC, competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Czech athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except for three occasions: Athens 1896, St. Louis 1904 and Los Angeles 1984 as part of the Soviet boycott. It is the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics after splitting from the former Czechoslovakia.
The Czech Republic left Paris with a total of five Olympic medals (three gold and two bronze), the least amount of medals in the history of the country and least amount of medals since 1932 Summer Olympics.[1] Two of the medals were awarded to the Czech team in canoeing, while the rest were awarded in fencing, tennis and track and field.
Among the medalists were that year French Open and Wimbledon champion in doubles Kateřina Siniaková, who captured her second consecutive gold medal in tennis, this time with Tomáš Macháč in mixed doubles,[2] flatwater canoeist Josef Dostál picked up gold in the K-1 1000 m event,[3] his fifth medal in four consecutive Games being the most decorated Czech athlete at the Summer Olympics since the breakup of the former Czechoslovakia. Martin Fuksa managed to win gold medal in the C-1 1000 metres event in best olympic time of 3:43.16.[4]
Czech épée fencing team (Jiří Beran, Jakub Jurka, Martin Rubeš and Michal Čupr) won the bronze medal in the team event after defeating acting world champions and runner-ups from Italy and France.[5] It was only the second medal from fencing competitions for the Czech Republic and fourth overall in the history of the Olympic Games. Nikola Ogrodníková won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics[6] making it the fifth consecutive medal in javelin throw for the Czech Republic and the eighth medal from the last nine Olympic Games in this sport.
Other notable achievements by Czech athletes include Radek Juška, who in long jump became only the second athlete who made it to the Olympic final for the Czech Republic or Czechoslovakia and with 8.15 m achieved the longest jump at the Olympic Games made by Czech or Czechoslovak athlete in history. Amálie Švábíková set a new national record at 4.80 m in pole vault; previous record was held by Jiřina Ptáčníková. Švábíková ended up 5th in the final, the second-best result in women's pole vault for Czech athlete at the Olympic games.[7] In swimming Barbora Seemanová equaled her result from Tokyo at 6th place,[7] the best result for a Czech swimmer since 2000 Summer Olympics. In Madison 7th place achieved by Jan Voneš and Denis Rugovac was the best result in this discipline for the Czech Republic so far and the best result achieved by Czech athlete in track cycling since 2004 Summer Olympics. Also 14th place of Mathias Vacek in road race was the best result of a Czech athlete in this event since 1988 Summer Olympics.[7] Lukáš Rohan who was at the time of the competition in kayak cross marked as 136th in world ranking managed to get 4th place in the competition. Martin Vlach in men's pentathlon set a new Olympic record in shooting/running part of 713 points in the semifinal of the competition. It lasted one day, when Emiliano Hernández broke that record in the final with 720 points. Tomáš Staněk's 21.61 m in men's shot put in the semifinal was the best result by Czech athlete at the olympics. Tereza Hrochová equaled the best result by Czech athlete at the Olympic games in women's marathon at 26th place and achieved the best time by Czech or Czechoslovak athlete in this discipline at the olympics. Karolína Maňasová's participation in 100m race was only second one since 1972 Summer Olympics for Czech or Czechoslovak woman but her time 11.11 s was the fastest ever at this distance in history. Also the time of 1:45.62 achieved by Jakub Dudycha at the 800m distance was the best time by a Czech or Czechoslovak athlete ever at the Olympic games.
These Olympic Games mark the first time since independence when the Czech Republic didn't achieve any medal in canoe slalom, which is regarded as one of the most successful Czech olympic sports regarding the medal count.[7]
The following Czech competitors won medals at the games. In the by-discipline sections below, medalists' names are bolded.
Czech Olympic Committee fielded a roster of 111 athletes, 62 men and 49 women, to compete across 23 sports at these Games; it was the nation's second smallest delegation sent to the Olympics since the breakup of the former Czechoslovakia. Czech Republic did not send teams in any of the collective sports for the second time in the nation's Olympic history. Of the 111 participants, 51 of them attended at least a single Olympiad, with the rest making their debut in Paris.
Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the team with 30 entries although Czechia didn't enter a decathlon athlete for the first time in history. Also for the first time since 1956 Summer Olympics there was no athlete in wrestling competitions due to late injury of Artur Omarov.[8] Table tennis, artistic gymnastics, sport climbing, triathlon and weightlifting all had a single competitor.
Nine of the nation's past Olympic medalists returned, including all of defending champions from Tokyo 2020: tennis players Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková, slalom canoeist Jiří Prskavec, judoka Lukáš Krpálek and trap shooter Jiří Lipták.
2016 and 2020 champion in judo Lukáš Krpálek, four-time medalist in sprint canoeing Josef Dostál, silver medalist in javelin throw from Tokyo Jakub Vadlejch, double sculls rowers Lenka Lukšová and Miroslav Vraštil and cross-country biker Ondřej Cink headed the full roster of Czech athletes by participating in their fourth Olympics as the most experienced competitors. They were followed by flatwater canoeists Martin Fuksa and double bronze medalist Daniel Havel, slalom canoeist Jiří Prskavec, bronze medalist in foil fencing Alexander Choupenitch, golfer Klára Davidson Spilková, beach player Barbora Hermannová, table tennis player Hana Matelová, swimmer Barbora Seemanová, shot putter Tomáš Staněk, pistol shooter Martin Podhráský, skeet shooter Jakub Tomeček and trap shooter Jiří Lipták, all of whom vied for their third Games.
Artistic gymnast Soňa Artamonová aged 16 years old was Czech Republic's youngest competitor, with épée fencer Jiří Beran and shooter Jiří Lipták rounding out the field as the oldest members (aged 42). Double canoeing champion Martin Doktor served as the team's chef de mission for the Games.[7]
World champion Marie Horáčková qualified for the women's individual recurve based on the results of the 2023 World Championships in Berlin, Germany;[9] and Adam Li joined her at the 2024 Final Qualification Tournament in Antalya, Turkey.[10]
Czech Republic track and field athletes achieved the entry standards for Paris 2024, nine of them by passing the direct qualifying mark (or time for track and road races – Lada Vondrová, Lurdes Gloria Manuel, Nikoleta Jíchová, Moira Stewartová, Tereza Hrochová, Amálie Švábíková, Tomáš Staněk, Jakub Vadlejch and Vít Müller), the others by world ranking, in the following events (a maximum of 3 athletes each):[11]
Key: ~ = Loss of contact; > = Bent knee
Czech Republic entered four badminton players into the Olympic tournament based on the BWF Race to Paris Rankings.
Czech Republic entered four boats into the slalom competition, for the Games through the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in London, Great Britain.[12][13]
Czech canoeists qualified three boats in each of the following distances for the Games through the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Germany; and 2024 European Qualifier in Szeged, Hungary.[14][15]
Qualification Legend: R = Qualify to repechage; QF = Qualify to quarterfinal; SF = Qualify to semifinal; FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)
The Czech Republic entered one male and one female rider to compete in the road race events at the Olympic. The Czech Republic secured those quota through the UCI Nation Ranking.[16] The Czech cycling union selected Julia Kopecký and Mathias Vacek to the team.[17]
Czech Republic entered two riders for men's omnium and madison events, based on the nations performances, through the final UCI Olympic rankings.
* Denis Rugovac started as reserve for Jan Voneš.
Czech mountain bikers secured two quota places (one per gender) for the Olympic through the release of the final Olympic mountain biking rankings. The Czech Cycling Union selected Ondřej Cink and Adéla Holubová to the team, despite the objections of other female rider Jitka Čábelická.[18]
To qualify for the BMX freestyle Olympic competition, Iveta Miculyčová participated in the first of the Olympic Qualifier Series events in Shanghai, however before the second one she got injured and decided not to continue in the second qualifier in Budapest. The results however fulfilled the Miculyčová's team's expectations that she would qualify anyway thanks to her bronze-medal finish at the 2022 world championships.[19][20]
Czech Republic received first place from the regional world ranking, then in realocation of unused places, the second quota was added.[21] The Czech Equestrian Federation named Miroslav Trunda with Shutterflyke, Miloslav Příhoda with Ferreolus Lat and Jaroslav Abík with Madock to the Olympic team, one of them will serve as the substitute rider. Trunda's Trnka-Ruf was added as a substitute horse.[22]
The Czech Republic entered 5 fencers. Jiří Beran ended his active sport career after the bronze match.[23]
Czech Republic entered two female golfers into the Olympic tournament.
Czech Republic entered one female gymnast into the games. Soňa Artamonová qualified for the games by virtue of her individual results, through an all-round event at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.[24]
Czech Republic entered two male and one female judoka into the Olympic tournament based on the International Judo Federation Olympics Individual Ranking.
Czech modern pentathletes confirmed three quota places for Paris 2024. Lucie Hlaváčková secured her selection in the women's event by finishing eighteenth in the overall point rankings and eighth among those eligible for Olympic qualification at the 2023 European Games in Kraków, Poland.[25][26] Later on, three more athletes qualified for the games through the release of final Olympic ranking, the Czech modern pentathlon union naming Martin Vlach, Marek Grycz and Veronika Novotná to the team.[27]
Czech rowers qualified boats in each of the following events through the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia and 2024 Final Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Czech Republic entered three female sailors into the games.
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race
Czech shooters achieved quota places for the following events based on their results at the 2022 and 2023 ISSF World Championships, 2022, 2023, and 2024 European Championships, 2023 European Games, and 2024 ISSF World Olympic Qualification Tournament.[28]
Czechia qualified one climber for Paris. Adam Ondra qualified for the games after finishing as one of top ten climbers in the boulder and lead category at the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series.
Czech swimmers achieved the entry standards in the following events (a maximum of two swimmers under the Olympic Qualifying Time (OST) and potentially at the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT)).[29]
Czech Republic entered one table tennis player into Paris 2024. Hana Matelová qualified for the games by virtue of nominated into the top twelve ranked players, in the women's single class, through the release of the final world ranking for Paris 2024.
Czech Republic qualified two athletes to compete at the games. Petra Štolbová secured her spot through winning the semifinal round in her own division at the 2024 European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Later on, Dominika Hronová qualified for the games, after the IOC announced the Individual Neutral Athletes taekwondo squad as ineligible, making Dominika to got the re-allocations.
In the men's singles, Jiří Lehečka was eligible to be selected to represent Czechia in Paris, but he had to withdraw from the team due to injury.[30]In the women|s singles and doubles, Markéta Vondroušová withdrew from the competition due to hand injury. She was replaced by Kateřina Siniaková in singles and by Linda Nosková in doubles.[31]
Czech Republic entered one female triathlete in the triathlon events for Paris, following the release of final individual olympics qualification ranking.
Czech Republic qualified a total of 4 athletes in beach volleyball. Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner qualified for Paris by winning the gold medal and securing an outright berth at the 2023 FIVB World Championships in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Later on, a women's pair qualified through received a forfeited quota from the Netherlands.[32]
Czech Republic weightlifters qualified one quota places at the games based on the IWF Olympics ranking. At first, Kamil Kučera was left behind the qualifiers, however as the IOC disapproved the qualification of several weightlifters from Russia and Belarus, Kučera moved into the quota.[33]