The golden days of Czech athletics are over. We have been deprived of the most precious medals for three world championships. Nevertheless, we cannot rate Budapest badly. We got two precious metals and a few places in or around the top ten.

Javelin thrower Jakub Vadlejch, 32, who already saved the Czech team with a bronze medal at the previous World Championships in Eugene, deserves to be released. He is a great “holder” of medals. He has a respectable record: silver at the 2017 World Championships, silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, bronze at the 2022 World Championships, silver at the 2022 EC. Five major medals in six years, only gold still eludes him.

He was surprisingly joined in Budapest by the mixed 400m relay. Krsek, Petržílková, Šorm and Vondrová won a valuable bronze medal, which was not diminished even by the final kick of the Dutch favorite Femke Bolová.

It is also a promise from Thursday for the future. Lada Vondrová and Matěj Krska are only 23 years old and can continue to improve.

Radek Juška finished in an excellent seventh place in the distance final, Tereza Ďurdiaková tenth in the 35 km walk, Amálie Švábíková eleventh in the pole final. Additionally, we recorded some good positions in the semi-finals. For example, 22-year-old Nikoleta Jíchová in the 400m hurdles, or 200m athlete Ondřej Macík, who is also only 22 years old.

The Czechs therefore finished a little better than in Eugene. However, now is not the time for complacency. In 10 years, from 2007 to 2017, our team collected seven gold medals and five other medals at the world championships. Since then, we have only had three medals.

We will see how the generation that is just waiting for its great global opportunity will fare. For example, the very talented junior eight player Jakub Dudycha.