He duly enjoyed the bronze celebrations. “It simply came to our notice then. We celebrated magnificently in Beijing, where we stayed for two more days after the bronze medal match. We had lunch with sponsors and the Olympic Committee in Bratislava, we were really looking forward to bryndza dumplings, tassels and fried steak. Food was not ideal in China. We drank what we could. Then we took an open bus around the city to the square, where there was a huge number of people. We enjoyed it, great. We are very happy that so many of them came to welcome them. But my head no longer hurts. The most demanding was the first day, “laughed Konrad.
He values precious metal from Beijing as well as his teammates. “Medals from every sport are valuable, rare and especially the Olympics. We had two, Petra Vlhová gold, we bronze. But I think we were more surprised. She wasn’t expected from us. We really appreciate it, “he did not hide.
According to him, there are several reasons why the Slovaks succeeded. “A lot of boys were at the last world championship and the Olympic qualification. After the first two lost duels, we kind of got together, we went from match to match and we had in our heads that we could surprise, and we succeeded. We had an above-standard team for skating, really excellent. It was also young, so recovery in seven games over ten days was faster. In the fight for bronze, it may have decided, “says a native of Nitra.
The key figure of the team was the young Juraj Slafkovský. “She has a great shot. He’s big strong, he gets it. Although he is only seventeen, he is ready for the NHL. “Maybe he will get there as soon as possible,” he wishes the talented fighter. However, he emphasized with one breath that the Slovaks played as one team. “I cheered for him a lot and kept my fingers crossed. I took it. He just caught the best man in the right place, and that’s how it should be,” he said.
He did not want to talk about why the Czech national team failed. “I am not the one who should compare. However, I think the Czechs had a fantastic team. But sometimes it’s just about that one match. We managed the Olympics, but in the quarterfinals we leveled a few seconds before the end and then won except for the raids, “he knows well how thin the line between success and disappointment is.
He enjoyed the atmosphere in Beijing. “She was amazing. No problems. Just, we always had to test ourselves in the morning. It was fine in the village, one could move freely. However, there were three and the other two were three and a half hours away. We didn’t have a chance to get into sports like biathlon. We could watch speed skating, figure skating, curling, acrobatic skiing, just sports, where we were close. We and the Czechs cheered on each other, and I wished they could go as far as possible, “he explained. He also met a stellar teammate from Olomouc, David Krejčí.
| It continues to Haná |
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| Slovak hockey goalkeeper Branislav Konrád will continue to work in the extra-league Olomouc. The 34-year-old goalkeeper, who was a member of the bronze Slovak national team at the recent Beijing Olympics, extended his contract with Hanák for another three years. |
The bronze medal is a patch for him to the suffering to which he was exposed. After an unpleasant injury from the beginning of the season, when his opponent’s skates cut his neck and the prognosis of recovery was very uncertain at that moment, he did not think about the Olympic team and therefore the Olympic badge at all. “It is so. That is why I appreciate what we have achieved. However, I do not want to return to what was. I’m back, okay, and now we need to think about club duties, “he said.
His teammates in Olomouc greeted him without fanfare, in peace. No peaking, as is usually the case between Czechs and Slovaks, has taken place. “The boys just congratulated me, and that was it. But the medal will cost me something. I don’t know yet how much I will have to put in the club box office. I hope that they will be lenient with me, “Konrád hopes.
Slovak goalkeeper Branislav Konrad in Olomouc with a bronze medal from Beijing.Photo: Petr Marek
On Friday, he will go with the team to Prague, where the Hanaks will compete against Sparta. Encouraged by the last victory over the fourteenth Kladno, they jumped on the ice, which they bounced off by eleven points. However, he does not know whether he will catch. “During or immediately after the Olympics, I didn’t train much, which is not ideal. I’ve been trying to catch up for the last two days. We’ll see, tomorrow, “said the goalkeeper, who has been defending the Kohout goal for seven seasons and signed for them for another three years this year.
