The Czech Swimming Federation has announced its 8-athlete Olympic swimming roster for the Tokyo Games this summer. The team will feature 6 individual pool swimmers, 2 relay-only swimmers.
Barbora Seemanova will headline the roster, having been named to race the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles after having lowered the Czech national records in all 3 events at the 2021 European Swimming Championships. Seemanova hit a 24.67, 53.68, and 1:56.27 earlier this year at Euros with the 200 freestyle swim earning her a gold medal in the event. Seemanova placed 8th in the 50 freestyle and 7th in the 100.
Back in 2016 Seemanova raced just the 200 freestyle at the Rio Olympics and placed 31st overall with a 2:00.26. After not racing at the 2017 World Championships, she improved to a 1:57.16 in the 200 free at 2019 Worlds which garnered her a 9th place finish overall.
Simona Kubova will also be racing in Tokyo in the women’s 100 backstroke as national record holder in the event. Kubova holds a 59.65 NR in the event which she swam at the 2017 World Championships. Kubova’s current season-best in the event is a 1:00.03 from November 2020 and she recently swam a 1:00.43 in the semi-finals at the 2021 European Swimming Championships.
In addition to Seemanova and Kubova, the entire Czech swimming roster this year holds the national record in their respective events. Kristyna Horska will swim the women’s 200 breaststroke, having hit a 2:25.24 earlier this season at the Uzbekistan Open Cup in November 2020.
On the men’s side, Jan Micka holds both the 800 and 1500 freestyle national records at a 7:48.93 and 14:48.52, respectively from back in 2019, and will swim both of those events in Tokyo. Micka raced the 400 and 1500 freestyle at the 2016 Olympics and placed 29th with a 3:49.97 and 12th with a 14:58.69, respectively.
Representing the Czech Republic in the men’s 200 backstroke, Jan Cejka recently delivered a 1:56.66 NR in the heats at the 2021 European Swimming Championships and went on the place 9th overall in the semi with a 1:57.43. Rounding out the men’s pool swimming roster, Jan Sefl will enter the 100 butterfly courtest of his recent 51.89 national record at the 2021 Orca Cup in Slovakia.
The other 2 swimmers who will be swimming for the Czech Republic in Tokyo are Anika Apostalon and Barbora Janickova in the women’s 4×100 freestyle.
Since the nation’s first appearance at the Olympic Games in 1996, the Czech Republic has never collected a medal in swimming. The closest they’ve come to reaching the podium was in 2000 when Daniel Málek placed 5th in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes with times of 1:01.50 and 2:13.20.
Czech Olympic Swimming Roster – Tokyo 2020
- Jan Cejka – Men’s 200 backstroke
- Jan Micka – Men’s 800, 1500 freestyle
- Jan Sefl – Men’s 100 butterfly
- Kristyna Horska – Women’s 200 breaststroke
- Simona Kubova – Women’s 100 backstroke, 4×100 freestyle
- Barbora Seemanova – Women’s 50, 100, 200 freestyle, 4×100 freestyle
- Anika Apostalon – Women’s 4×100 freestyle
- Barbora Janickova – Women’s 4×100 freestyle
