Josef Dostál just lived through a roller coaster of emotions, but on a kayak. This competitor in various Men’s kayak competitions at the Olympics first placed fifth in an individual 1km race on Tuesday. That might not seem so bad, but given the fact that he earned a silver medal in this discipline in Rio de Janeiro, he expected more. Devastated and exhausted, he had to be helped by the organizers out of his kayak. The situation seemed dire already, but it got even worse when he started to develop a stomach and other symptoms ache during a walk after the race, which he linked to a probable onset of food poisoning. With the fear of these Olympic games ending for him, he went to sleep before Thursday’s Doubles Kayak race, in which he already scored two medals in the past two Olympic games. However the new day was suddenly a new beginning to him, as he felt fresh and managed to score a bronze medal with his racing partner Radek Šlouf. This incredible turnaround even earned him the direct praise of the head of the Czech Olympic Team, former kayak legend Martin Doktor. “Pepa (Czech nickname for Josefs) is a huge fighter. How he got out of it… The race was difficult for him not only mentally but also physically. I admire Pepa for getting back up on the saddle after it.” Doktor referred to what Dostál went through after the race on Tuesday. While Dostál admitted to never wanting to come back to Tokyo after the first race, he now happily stated that he has changed his mind and he might race in the Japanese capital again one day.
