The Slovak athletes to represent Slovakia at the Olympics in Tokyo took a joint oath at presence of President Zuzana Čaputová. (source: TASR)
The team that Slovakia is sending to Tokyo is the smallest it has had at the summer Olympics since the country emerged as an independent state in 1993. Yet the hopes for those attending the upcoming Olympics are high, pinned on shooters, cyclists, water sports and athletics representatives.
President Zuzana Čaputová acknowledged their extraordinary strength of body and spirit, given that they were preparing for the games under great uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The uncertainty as to whether the Olympics will take place at all did not deter you,” said Čaputová after the athletes took a joint oath prior to their departure for Japan. “In the desire to achieve success for yourself and for Slovakia, you have not slowed down. You are an inspiration for all Slovakia.”“The uncertainty as to whether the Olympics will take place at all did not deter you,” said Čaputová after the athletes took a joint oath prior to their departure for Japan. “In the desire to achieve success for yourself and for Slovakia, you have not slowed down. You are an inspiration for all Slovakia.”
The 32nd Olympic Games were originally supposed to take place in Tokyo, Japan, in the summer of 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic postponed the games by a year, finally taking place between July 23 and August 8, 2021, followed by the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games from August 24 until September 5, 2021. Spectators will not be allowed to attend the games due to threat of infection.
The programme of the Olympic Games includes 33 sports and 339 sporting events in which more than 11,000 athletes will compete. There will be several new sports. While baseball along with softball will return to the games, karate, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding will be added to the program for the first time. The 50-km race walk, in which Slovak Olympic gold medallist Matej Tóth will compete, will be held in Tokyo for the last time.
Ambitions for Olympic medals
Team Slovakia in Tokyo has 41 athletes, 10 fewer than at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 19-year old archer Denisa Baránková is the youngest, while the 45-year South African native, golf player Rory Sabbatini, is the oldest.
Out of the attending athletes, six already hold an Olympic medal. Walker Matej Tóth is the only one with Olympic gold at home.
Matej Tóth winning Olympic gold. (source: TASR)
Speed canoeists Erik Vlček, for whom this will be his sixth Olympics, holds two silver and one bronze medal (2004, 2008 and 2016).
Erik Vlček (source: TASR)
Right to left: Samuel Baláž, Erik Vlček, Csaba Zalka, Adam Botek (source: TASR)
Skeet shooter Danka Barteková won the bronze in 2012. Sports shooter Zuzana Rehák Štefečeková holds two silver medals, one from 2008 and the second one from 2012. Sprint canoeist Denis Myšák won the silver in 2016 and slalom canoeist Matej Beňuš the silver in 2016.
Sport shooter Danka barteková (source: Sme - Jozef Jakubčo)
The website Bestsports.com predicts that the Olympics in Tokyo will be especially successful for Slovakia. In late June the website predicted a total of six medals, including four gold for the country, in the canoeing, shooting and cycling disciplines. The prediction, however, dates before cyclist Peter Sagan decided not to attend Tokyo due to an injury. He was replaced by the young cyclist Lukáš Kubiš.
The hottest prospects are water athletes Samuel Baláž, Erik Vlček, Denis Myšák and Adam Botek, who will compete in the men’s canoe sprint K-4 1,000 metres. The Sme daily puts 85 percent on them to win a medal. Double kayak featuring Samuel Baláž and Adam Botek ended with the same prediction.
Shooter Zuzana Rehák Štefečeková, who will compete in trap (shooting at clay pigeons), gets 80 percent.
Shooter Zuzana Rehák Štefečeková (source: TASR)
Matej Tóth, for whom the Olympics in Tokyo will be his last big competition, will try to repeat his excellent performance from Rio. His chance at a medal is assessed at 75 percent.
Another promising athlete is slalom canoeist Matej Beňuš with 65 percent, followed by sport shooter Erik Varga specialising in trap (60 percent), as well as shooter Danka Barteková and freestyle wrestler Boris Makojev, both 50 percent.
Matej Beňuš (source: TASR)
Another hot prospect in shooting is Juraj Tužinský with 40 percent, and boxer Andrej Csemez with 30 percent.
Water sports, shooting and 50-km race walk
At the first Summer Olympics after the split of Czechoslovakia in Atlanta (1996), Slovakia won one gold (Michal Martikán in single canoe). That year the team included 71 participants. The highest number of Slovak Olympic athletes to participate in a single Olympic Games (112 athletes) was in Sydney 2000, with three teams competing in the team sports categories.
The games in Beijing in 2008 were the most successful in history for Slovakia with six medals, consisting of three gold (Peter and Pavol Hochschorner brothers, Michal Martikán and Elena Kaliská, all in whitewater disciplines), two silver and one bronze.
The Hochschorner twins in action. (source: ČTK)
At the last summer Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, Slovak athletes won four medals – two gold and two silver.
Slovak double-canoe athletes Ladislav and Peter Škantár became Olympic champions in water slalom, in their first start under the five rings.
Walker Matej Tóth won the 50-km race, the first Olympic gold in athletics for Slovakia since 1993, and simultaneously the first Olympic gold in another sport than water slalom.
Canoe slalom athlete Matej Beňuš won the silver in his premiere at the Olympics in the CI discipline and Erik Vlček, Juraj Tarr, Denis Myšák and Tibor Linka ended second in the men’s canoe sprint K-4 1,000 metres.
