It is Thursday 4 Febtruary 2010 afternoon in the Jesenik Mountains and all has got quiet. Four days of tough struggle to beat the nature’s traps, the challenges of events and last but not least to push their own limits are a piece of history for the Czech military Winter Survival 2010 participants. After the final relay race battle for leading positions the Czech teams occupy the podium.
The Army of the Czech Republic International Outdoor Polyathlon Winter Survival 2010 arranged by the University of Defence for the Czech military forces, thoroughly tested soldiers’ abilities and skills learnt in special physical training courses. Most of them took their physical capacity and mental strength to the bottom during the endurance stage. In addition, the last stage of the championship required speed more than anything else.
The mass start to the relay race took place in the vicinity of Kurzovní Hotel. On the start shot the first-leg athletes ran to the ski storage area, put the skis on and continued along the marked track. The three kilometres of the perfectly prepared track were covered with fresh snow and the thermometer showed five degrees below zero. Each athlete was to cover 12 kilometres within the race.
There were two rounds in both the individual and team relay that included a paramilitary event intermission of dummy grenade precision throw. The winning team of the race was for University of Defence I. The favoured teams’ ranking in this race adumbrated their final standing position in the championship. The total sum of points collected in the championship and the relay race thus decided on podium positions.
The 16th Army of the Czech Republic International Outdoor Polyathlon Winter Survival 2010 are major Ludek Cicmanec, lieutenant Jan Tvrdik and staff sergeant Jan Tancibudek for the first team of the University of Defence collecting the total of 1360 points. “It was hard but we did it. We are happy we’ve won and delight the feeling,” reviewed major Cicmanec.
After fierce struggle for the second place, the silver medals were won by captain Vladimír Michalička, lance corporal Ivo Vrba and lance corporal Milan Wurst for 73 tank battalion's team gaining 1134 points. Ammunition Base’s Warrant Officer Class I Michal Pech, Staff Sergeant Milan Menzel and Sergeant Miroslav Šroler reached the well deserved bronze medals for 1108 points.
Ten of the eighteen teams finished extremely difficult Winter Survival. It should be noted that the alone female athlete – captain Lenka Junova – was able to pass all the peculiarities and complete the championships. The best and the only foreign forces team in this unique competition that finished the entire event was for Wroclaw Land Forces Academy (Poland).
Text: Pavel Pazdera, WS 2010 press officer, photo: Jiří Pařízek