In Sports News this week: Speed skater Martina Sablikova wins another world cup event and breaks a world record in the process; Alpine skier Sarka Zahrobska wins silver in a world cup slalom race; Sparta Prague are through to the semi-finals of ice hockey's Extra Liga while their footballing counterparts suffer a shock defeat.
Speed skater Sablikova smashes 5000 m record
Martina Sablikova, photo: CTK
Czech speed skater Martina Sablikova's remarkable season continues. She won her third world cup speed skating event this year by winning the 5000 m contest in Salt Lake City on Sunday. What's more the nineteen-year-old also smashed the world record for the distance with a time of six minutes forty five point six seconds, almost a third of a second faster than the five-year-old record set by legendary German skater Claudie Pechsteiin, whom Sablikova beat into second place during Sunday's event.
World Cup slalom silver for Sarka Zahrobska
Sarka Zahrobska, photo: CTK
Staying with winter sports and Czech alpine skier Sarka Zahrobska also enjoyed a good weekend's work. She followed up her surprise win in the slalom at the Alpine skiing World Championships in Sweden last month by coming joint second in the slalom at a world cup race in Zwiesel, Germany. Zahrobska tied for second place with Sweden's Anna Ottosson in a time of one minute thirty eight point nine seconds, two point two three seconds behind winner Marlies Schild of Austria.
Sparta through to Extraliga semi-finals
Photo: CTK
Ice hockey now and the Czech extraliga playoffs are reaching their decisive stages. Sparta Prague are the first team through to the semi-finals as their 3-2 win over Zlin at the weekend gives them an unassailable 4-1 lead in their best of seven match quarter final. In the other quarter-final matches Ceske Budejovice beat Slavia Prague 4-3 to hold a narrow 3-2 lead in their series. Pardubice are 3-1 ahead of Znojmo after a comfortable 3-1 win over the Moravian team. Meanwhile the team that finished well ahead of everyone else in the league stages - Liberec - still have it all to do. They lost 4-1 to Trinec at the weekend leaving their quarter final delicately balanced at two matches apiece.
Shock defeat for football league leaders Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague - Jablonec, photo: CTK
Moving on to football and the Czech Gambrinus liga got underway again after the winter break with a shock defeat for league leaders Sparta. They lost 3-0 at home to Jablonec and could now lose their place at the top of the table to arch rivals Slavia Prague if they can make use of a game in hand and beat third-placed Liberec.
Finally, Czech goalkeeper Radek Cerny had a rare start at the weekend for his team Tottenham Hotspur in their FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea whose goalkeeper - Petr Cech - is also from the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, neither keeper covered themselves in glory with both of them conceding three goals in a hard-fought 3-3 draw.
