It is Thursday 2 February 2012 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 2012 participants. After the final battle in a duathlon race the Czech teams occupy the podium.

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The Army of the Czech Republic International Outdoor Polyathlon Winter Survival 2012 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 three-day endurance stage. Bitter frost, many kilometres of moving in deep snow and health problems eliminated half of the teams from the competition..

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The second and last stage of the championship required speed more than anything else. The duathlon race included in the first part a slalom leg of downhill skiing under the Petrovy Kameny hill followed by the secong leg of cross-country skiing leg of individuals in the vicinity of Ovcarna pod Pradedem and around Kurzovni Hotel. There were two rounds in the individual race that included a paramilitary event intermission of dummy grenade precision throw. The duathlon race was started by the Joint Forces deputy commanding officer and Air Force commander, brigadier general Jiri Verner.

The winning team of the duatholon race was for the Ammunition Base in Týniště nad Orlicí and teams’ ranking in the second stage adumbrated their final standing position in the championship. The total sum of points collected in the championship decided on podium positions.

The 18th Army of the Czech Republic International Outdoor Polyathlon Winter Survival 2012 winners are captain Michal Pech, chief warrant officer Milan Menzel and warrant officer 2nd class Miroslav Šroler for Týniště nad Orlicí Ammunition Base team. "We were less successful in the first two days and I did not believe in such a success. Of course we are hilarious we won. The competition was extremely difficult in this year," summarised CWO Menzel his team’s performance.

After fierce struggle for the second place, the silver medals were won by captain Zdeněk Střeštík, lieutenant Michal Škobrtal and staff sergeant Pavel Křehký for Military Police team and lieutenant Viktor Novotný, corporal Ivo Vrba and lance corporal Milan Vurst for 73 tank battalion Přáslavice reached the well deserved bronze medals. The difference between these two teams was a mere single point.

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“We did our best but we lacked power, it is simple,” said lieutenant Viktor Novotný on behalf of Praslavice’s team after the race. The final downhill and cross-country skiing legs were supposed to shuffle the podium positions, as Novotný is the current leader in the Czech long distance race tour. “After the two demanding days in the mountains my tour mates would beat me by far today,” added lieutenant Novotný.

The trophies to the winning teams were presented by Director of Force Development Division – Operation Division brigadier general Bohuslav Dvořák, deputy commander of Joint Forces and AF commander brigadier general Jiri Verner and University of Defence rector-commandant brigadier general (retired) Rudolf Urban.