From catching fish to capturing gold, Czechia's Josef Dostal talks about how fly fishing has helped him to become Olympic and world champion in our series of interviews with paddlers on what they do during the off-season.
With his knees submerged in the icy waters of Czechia, Josef Dostal delves into his fishing net to pluck out a brown trout.
Beaming from ear to ear, a delighted Dostal cannot hide his pleasure at landing his catch of the day before releasing it back into the water.
Dostal admits only a “crazy person” climbs into the water in the middle of winter to fish, but this is his peaceful place.
Away from the heat of the battle and the intensity of training, Dostal can often be found wearing his waders and standing in a river patiently waiting for a fish to bite.
Wherever he is in the world, the Czech paddler makes an effort to “sneak off” to get his fishing fix.
“What I enjoy most is fly fishing because you stand in the river, no one is around you and you are focusing on the fish,” said Dostal.
“Whenever I don’t have anything important to do, I always try to do some fishing.”
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Scrolling through Dostal’s Instagram posts his love of fishing is clear to see. From bluefin tunas to goldfish and catfish to rainbow trout, Dostal revels in showing off his latest prized catch on social media.
Dostal said his best moment came in 2017 when he caught a whopping 120-centimetre-long wahoo while on vacation in the Maldives.
His passion for fly fishing started when he was a child after being introduced to it by his grandfather.
“Growing up with two sisters, you can imagine that I was being nice and polite,” said Dostal.
“I was living in a girls’ world.
“A couple of times per month we went to visit our grandparents and my grandfather took me out fishing.
“That was the only time I was able to actually swear, say all the bad words and kill animals – not to waste their life but to be eaten.
“It woke up the men’s side of myself which is why I like it so much.”
Fly fishing key to kayaking performance
During his kayaking career, Dostal said fly fishing had played an important role in his success on the water.
“Fishing absolutely clears my mind especially when I catch a big fish because I get so much excitement that I can perform much better in training sessions,” said Dostal.
“Even when I am tired, it really improves my morale.”
Before heading into the Californian sun next month for training and a spot of fishing, Dostal is experiencing much colder climes in Livigno.
It is in this valley in the Italian Alps where Dostal undergoes his high-altitude training – a key part in his preparations for the season.
What is different this year compared to other is that Dostal takes to the mountainous area as an Olympic gold medallist after his sensational 2024.
Dostal, the 6ft 8in man mountain, pulled off a stunning performance to secure gold in the kayak single 1000m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It was a victory that came after shaving about five kilograms off his huge frame, changing his coach and even altering the colours of his boat from black and yellow to red and black which he felt was “more aggressive”.
Change in mindset helped Dostal deliver gold
“I was not actually focusing on winning the Olympics,” said Dostal, who had one silver and three bronzes to his name before heading to Paris.
“I was just focusing on trying to be back as a top athlete because for the past couple of years my best position for the K1 1000m was fifth.
“I was like ‘Let’s give it a try’.
“I changed a lot of stuff, like my coach and it looks like it paid off.”
For all the changes that he undertook, Dostal said it was the alterations he made to his mindset that were the most significant last year.
“I learnt to love kayaking again which over the past years I took for granted,” said Dostal.
“Previously I thought I would train and get some results but it didn’t go that way.
“Many people helped me to change this mindset - just being around nice people helped me not to be in fights and argue with anyone.
“This helped me a lot to focus on kayaking.”
Dostal said his fiancé and fellow paddler, Anezka Paloudova, who also competed at Paris 2024 where she made her Olympic debut, had been crucial to ensuring he remained in a good frame of mind.
“It’s a huge advantage having Anezka there,” said Dostal.
“We love each other and when you love and support each other like we do it makes you confident in what you do.
“We don’t argue about stupid things like I did in the past. That saves energy for training sessions and I am really looking forward to the future with Anezka.”
Dostal and Paloudova expecting first child
Just a few days after interviewing Dostal, the 31-year-old took to social media to reveal that he and Paloudova are expecting their first child.
So Dostal’s busy life looks set to get even busier as he prepares to juggle his pending duties as a new father along with his kayaking – and his studies.
He said he was back hitting the books this year as part of his course in economics and management at the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague.
Despite this heavy workload, there is no doubt Dostal will do all he can to ensure he finds time to enjoy his beloved fly fishing to help him to capture more gold medals in 2025.
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