Sports News

In Sports News this week: Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková win women’s doubles at Wimbledon; Tomáš Berdych drops out of men’s top 50; Czechs take two bronze medals at World Rowing Cup in Switzerland; Czech biker Nikola Nosková takes gold and bronze at European Championships; javelin champion Špotáková gives birth to second son.

Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková win women’s doubles at Wimbledon

Kateřina Siniaková, Barbora Krejčíková, photo: ČTK/AP/Tim Ireland

The Czech pair Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková scored a huge success on Saturday when they clinched the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon, only a month after winning the doubles title at Rolland Garros. The 22-year-olds defeated Czech-US duo Květa Peschkeová and Nicole Melichar 6-4, 4-6 and 6-0.

Krejčíková and Siniaková are only the second ever Czech female doubles pairing to take a trophy at Wimbledon, following Jana Novotná and Helena Suková who won in 1989 and 1990. They are also the first team ever to win the girls’ and ladies’ doubles at the Grand Slam. Barbora Siniaková:

“It was of course our target at the beginning of the year and it’s incredible that we have already reached that goal. On the other hand, the season is not over, so will continue to work hard. But it is definitely great news!”

Berdych drops out of men’s top 50

Tomáš Berdych, photo: Tatiana, CC BY-SA 2.0

Following Wimbledon, Siniaková has moved to the second spot in the WTA doubles rankings. Meanwhile, Czech men’s number one singles player Tomáš Berdych has dropped out of the top 50. The 32-year-old player was forced to pull out of Wimbledon due to persistent back pain. He is currently ranked 59th in the ATP rankings, which is his worst position in 14 years.

Czechs take two bronze medals at World Rowing Cup in Switzerland

Ondřej Synek, photo: archive of Czech Radio

Czech rower Ondřej Synek took the bronze medal at the World Rowing Cup in Switzerland’s Lucerne on Sunday. The Czech World Champion came third in the men’s single skull event, finishing behind Robert Manson of New Zealand and Oliver Zeidler of Germany. Jakub Podrazil and Lukáš Helešic finished third in the men’s pair event and currently occupy first place in the World Cup rankings.

Czech biker Nikola Nosková takes gold and bronze at European Championships

Nikola Nosková, photo: ČTK/Šálek Václav

Czech Nikola Nosková took the gold medal in the Women’s Under 23 road race at the 2018 European Championships in Brno on Saturday. The 21-year-old rider dominated her rivals, soloing on the finish line. She crossed the finish line with a 3’49” lead over the Dutch rider Aafke Soet and 7’15” over the Italian Letizia Paternoster.

Nosková also clinched the bronze medal in the under 23’s category time-trial event, covering the 23 km circuit in a time of 34 minutes and 32 seconds.

Javelin champion Špotáková gives birth to second son

Barbora Špotáková with her son, photo: ČTK/PR/Archive of Barbora Špotáková

Czech javelin champion Barbora Špotáková has given birth to a son. The baby boy, Špotáková’s second child, was born in Hořovice near Prague on Saturday and has been named Darek. The boy will bear the surname of his father, Lukáš Novotný.

The 37-year-old, who triumphed at the Beijing and London Olympics, is planning to return to athletics in 2019. She said her main goal is to get ready for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.