She was only 10 years old when her mother Barbora competed in the Beijing Olympics. Even then, however, Archer Marie Horáčková got fired. The love of children has lasted until now: she now leads the Olympic arc herself and continues the family tradition.
“Archer Marie Horáčková fought for the Olympic Games!” When this news emerged at the end of June, many sports enthusiasts were wondering where only this girl had appeared. However, if the Olympic qualification surprised no one, it is Marie. She went to great lengths to attend Tokyo, she never stopped trusting him. After all, he almost made it to the Rio Games. But something happened that changed her life.
Three years ago, the mother of a young archer died of cancer and Olympian Barbora was only 49 years old. “It was really hard.” Marie remembers the difficult times today. She cried over practice, she was in trouble at the races. It took a year for everything to improve again. Besides her sister Johanka and her father Zdeněk, the smiling young woman was helped by archery, in which she now represents the Czech Republic at the Tokyo Olympics. She has already passed her qualification, she will have to face playoff fights tomorrow morning.
Is competing in the Olympics a dream come true or are you still missing something to your satisfaction?
“Once I get to Tokyo, I would like to show a result there for the peace of my soul, to say that I did the best I could.”
What does it mean? In an older questionnaire, you said that your goal is an Olympic medal …
“I think anything can happen at the Olympics. Although some girls are better on the board than me, everyone gets beaten in live fights. It’s just about getting on your nerves.”
He trains children at the Pilsen shooting range, they said goodbye to their Maruška before the start.
Your sport should be about patience.
“That’s a lot. This year, for example, I started working on mental training, and maybe it helped me for the Olympics. I had a completely incredible head in the qualifying race. , from the start I just thought I was going to shoot it. “
There were tears when your opponent hit nine and you had a progression in your pocket, right?
“A little (smile). In my opinion, it was more of an explosion of all the emotions and everything I had hidden under the hood. But I was very happy I gave it away. “
And now you are serious about the Olympics.
“It was probably the best thing about it when I realized I was a member of the Olympic team (laughs).”
Guess the answer, but can you make a living from archery?
“Archers are amateurs in the Czech Republic. I am in the Victoria University Center scholarship program so am currently taking classes and firing as a job. I don’t need to go to work besides training, it’s a huge support for me. But I want to prove from an early age that I could make a living by shooting. A lot of people excused me and didn’t believe it, but I won’t be discouraged. “
Progressing to the Olympics is the first step in this plan, but what are the others?
“World medals, the doors have just opened with some success. But, for example, my mother qualified for the Olympics, even though she would normally go to work for 8 hours.”
Do you come from an archery family, when did you start?
“I had my first bow for my fifth birthday, but I have pictures of myself walking in a plastic jacket when I was three and trying to shoot (laughs). But it wasn’t like I was spinning and nothing else. I danced when I was little, I liked it a lot, but at 14 he won the bow. “
Do you remember your mother’s run to Beijing?
“Not really. I remember she went to the Olympics and it was awfully good, but she still went to the races. My sister and I couldn’t even realize the weight, for us that meant the ‘been with our grandmother (laughs). But it was great glory. “
Did you receive an Olympic souvenir then?
“Clearly! My mother brought us a lot: Chinese fans, hats and napkins with Olympic logos or girls’ shawls, but the ones you can’t find here. And of course the mascot, I always have that.”
Now you can bring your own from Tokyo. What does it mean for you to follow your mother after 13 years?
“I find it very nice. Who can say that he has two Olympians in his family, plus two consecutive generations? Unconsciously, I always wanted to go to the Olympics, my mother was definitely my model. “
His loss must have been crazy to you.
“It was really tough. Although my sister and I had a lot of people around us who helped us deal with it, in the end we just had to go through it. But I think we did. Have done.”
How long did my mother fight the disease?
“She got sick a year after Beijing, she fought for 9 years. She was amazing.”
What do you think she would say to you after qualifying for the Olympics?
“I think she would cry with happiness.”
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