Love is in the air within Czechia’s Canoe Sprint team as newly engaged paddlers Anezka Paloudova and Josef Dostal make the journey to Paris.
Known as the City of Love, Paloudova and Dostel could not have arrived at a better place to spend part of their summer.
But it is Vaires-sur-Marne – 30 kilometres from central Paris – where the Czech couple will look to add a glorious chapter to their love story as they bid for Canoe Sprint success at the Olympics.
Paloudova accepted Dostal’s proposal of marriage in June after more than three years together.
“Our friendship began when I started to kayak sprint and he was helping me with my technique and then we got to know each other much more and it continued into a relationship,” said Paloudova.
“Now we are living together, spending most of our time together.
“We are used to the other one being by their side.”
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Paloudova and Dostal are sharing an apartment during the Games, where discussions over wedding plans have been put on hold.
“We don’t have the (wedding) date yet,” said Paloudova.
“Now we are focusing on the Olympics as we want to have time to make the wedding and enjoy the preparation.
“We don’t want to have the pressure.
“It’s something we are going to deal with after this.”
Dostal, 31, is a big medal hope for Czechia having already accumulated three bronzes and one silver at the past three Olympics.
He will be competing in the men's kayak single 1000m.
Paloudova, 25, will be making her Olympic debut in Paris after securing her place at the European qualifier in Szeged in May.
She will be contested in the women's kayak single 500m.
“It is different for both of us,” said Paloudova.
“Josef is one of the top kayakers and he is going for the best results possible.
“For me, it is my first Olympic experience.
“I would say that I am super happy to be qualified as it has been a lot of years since the last Czech girl qualified for the Olympics.
“I don’t want to put any pressure for some specific result, like to destroy this kind of happiness.
“I want to make the best run possible and what I want is to show other girls from Czechia that it is possible to get there.
“It’s nothing that is super high and can’t touch this goal of going to the Olympics.
“But I want to show there is a way how to get there.”
Before moving into Canoe Sprint, Paloudova was a successful paddler in Wildwater Canoeing, winning six world titles between 2016 and 2019.
“When I started to do Canoe Sprint, it felt quite odd beginning a new sport,” added Paloudova.
“I didn’t expect to be selected for the national team.
“It went step by step as I was selected for the team, went to my first races, had some medals at under 23s at European and world level, became the best Czech girl kayaker and now I’m an Olympian.
“I hope it will continue to go forward.”
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