August 30, 2024·Sport·Editorial
David Kratochvíl (Source: Czech Paralympic Committee)
Sixteen-year-old David Kratochvíl brought the first gold medal to the Czech team at the Summer Paralympic Games in Paris. This blind swimmer triumphed in the 400-meter freestyle race in the S11 category, in a European record of 4:26.34 minutes. He crowned his triumph with a lead of five seconds.
David Kratochvíl, who lost his sight in early childhood, has already proven his talent and determination in the past. Last year he became world champion on this track in Manchester and this year he won silver at the European Championships in Funchal. Today, however, he avenged his defeat on his Dutch rival Rogier Dorsman, who defeated him then.
Already at the age of fifteen, Kratochvíl became the holder of two world records in swimming – for 50 meters and 200 meters, which he created at international competitions in Berlin. A triumph in Manchester in 2023 catapulted him among the favorites for the Paralympic Games in Paris.
This swimmer lost his first eye to retinal cancer when he was less than a year old, and the second at the age of six. His parents supported him and led him to an active lifestyle. He first tried hockey, but eventually found his passion in swimming, which he has been doing for more than ten years. In addition to swimming, he plays the guitar, piano and accordion, likes chess and plans to study psychology at university.
At the Paralympics in Paris, Kratochvíl competes in six categories, including the 50- and 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter medley, 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter butterfly. His main discipline is the 400 meter freestyle, in which he won the gold medal today.
