Sports News

Lukas Bauer has become the first Czech man to win a World Cup cross-country skiing race, and in front of a home crowd to boot. After an impressive start at the Australian Open, none of the Czech Republic's tennis players made it to the second week of the first Grand Slam of the year. Czech Tomas Tomecek is second overall in the truck category of the Paris to Dakar rally with only one stage to go, and former international goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek has just signed with an Italian second division football club, a far cry from his days at top English club Newcastle.

Sports News

Bauer first Czech man ever to win World Cup cross-country skiing race

Lukas Bauer, photo: CTK

Czech cross-country skiing fans were in luck at the Golden Skis meeting at Nove mesto na Morave on Saturday, when they witnessed Lukas Bauer become the first Czech man ever to come first in a World Cup race.

"Bauer has become immortal" read one headline in Monday's papers, attesting to the joyous reaction to his success in the Czech Republic. The skier described his feelings after the race:

"Great, fantastic...I'm extremely surprised. Thanks to everybody who played a part - my back-up team, everybody, my skis were great, and the crowds by the track really encouraged me on. That was the best race of my life, as regards the World Cup, though I still think my seventh place at the Olympics was my best result, because they're only once every four years, but it's almost comparable and I'm really happy."

Lukas Bauer has chosen the right time to come into the limelight, with the Czech Republic's top cross-country skier Katerina Neummanova taking a career break to have a baby. Neummanova watched Saturday's race and had this to say afterwards.

"From the Czech perspective it's absolutely fantastic. It was a great surprise that Lukas won and it's a fantastic result."

Valenta evidently back in form

Olympic champion aerial freestyle skier Ales Valenta appears - after some poor results - to be getting back into form, with a fourth place finish in a competition at the United States' Lake Placid.

No Czech players make second week of Australian Open

Jiri Novak, photo: CTK

While several Czech tennis players impressed in the opening rounds at the Australian Open, none of them have made it into the second week at the first Grand Slam of the year. Brightest hope Jiri Novak failed to repeat his success in getting to the semi-finals at Melbourne last year, going out to Russia's Mikhail Youzhny in the third round. Also in the third round, Radek Stepanek lost to world number one Lleyton Hewitt and Klara Koukalova was beaten by Meghann Shaughnessy of the USA. Denisa Chladkova made it one stage further, before losing to Spain‘s Virginia Ruano Pascual in the Czech's first ever Australian Open fourth round match on Sunday. Chladkova told Czech Radio after the match that she had simply been outplayed by Ruano.

"The only thing I maybe should have tried more was to put on the pressure more at some moments and try to put her on the defensive. I played well but she just played great."

Czech truck driver Tomecek second in Dakar Rally with one stage to go

We informed you recently that six-time winner Karel Loprais had been forced to pull out of the Paris to Dakar rally after his Tatra truck crashed. He wasn't the only Czech in the race, however, and with one stage to go his countryman Tomas Tomecek (also driving a Tatra) is currently second in the truck category.

Ex-international keeper Srnicek reduced to playing in Italian second division

We close with football and the news that former Czech international goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek has seen his career slide a long way since the days he played at English club Newcastle. Srnicek, who is 34 and the third most-capped Czech keeper of all time, has just signed with Italian second division club Cosenza, after an unsuccessful spell at Serie A club Brescia.