The Czech Swimming Federation has announced a 15 swimmer roster for the 2025 European Short Course Swimming Championships, with that roster being reduced to 14 via the withdraw of one of its star performers.
Barbora Seemanova posted on her Instagram account on Monday morning that she was withdrawing from the championship. “I’ve been struggling with some health issues, and on the advice of the Sports Medical team I will be forced to withdraw from the European SC championship,” the post said.
This is the second straight year in which she has skipped the major short course championships after withdrawing from last year’s World Short Course Championships with an ankle injury. While her post did not specify the nature of her health problem, Seemanova is currently battling a sickness, versus an injury, but her medical team has been unable to diagnose the problem.
Seemanova was the 2021 and 2023 European Short Course silver medalist in the 200 freestyle and has five individual medals (including three individual golds) at the long course edition.
The country’s other returning medalist Kristyna Horska is entered in all three breaststroke races. She won bronze in a new Czech Record in 2023 in Romania, and has since dropped 1.3 seconds off her best time when she finished 6th in the same event at last year’s World Short Course Championships.
Jan Cejka and Miroslav Knedla are both World Junior Champions on the roster. Cejka, the 2019 World Junior Champion in the 50 back, will swim the 50, 100, and 200 backstrokes, plus the 200 IM. Knedla, the 2023 World Junior Champion in the 50 back, will also swim all three backstrokes and add the 100 IM too.
Knedla trains in the United States at Indiana University, where he, along with the rest of the Hoosier team, just had a monumental mid-season meet. While he didn’t put up as many best times as his teammates did, he’s part of a backstroke group that performed very well as a whole, so he may be saving his best for this meet. His best times included a 1:34.48 in the 200 yard free and a 20.66 in the 50 yard backstroke on the leadoff of the 200 medley relay.
The European Short Course Championships are scheduled to take place from December 2-7 in Lublin, Poland.
Full Czech Roster for the 2025 European SC Championships
The Czech Federation notes that with five Czech swimmers entered in at least four individual events, there might be some scratches among them.
- Kristýna Horská (30 Sep 1997) — 50/100/200 m breaststroke
- Barbora Janíčková (1 May 2000) — 50/100 m backstroke; 50 m butterfly; 100 m IM
- Daryna Nabojčenko (26 Jun 2002) — 50/100 m backstroke; 50 m butterfly
Barbora Seemanová (1 Apr 2000) — 100/200/400 m freestyle; 100 m butterfly- Jakub Bursa (17 Jan 2003) — 100/200/400 m IM
- Jan Čejka (29 May 2001) — 50/100/200 m backstroke; 200 m IM
- Jan Foltýn (27 Jan 2008) — 50/100 m backstroke; 50 m butterfly; 100 m IM
- Ondřej Gemov (12 Jun 1999) — 200/400 m freestyle; 200 m butterfly
- Daniel Gracík (15 Oct 2004) — 50 m backstroke; 50 m butterfly
- Michal Judickij (28 Oct 2004) — 200/400 m IM; 800 m freestyle
- Jan Jurčík (18 Nov 2007) — 100/200 m butterfly; 400 m freestyle
- Miroslav Knedla (18 Jul 2005) — 50/100/200 m backstroke; 100 m IM
- Ondřej Slavík (20 Mar 2006) — 50/100 m butterfly; 50 m backstroke
- Radim Švarc (8 Jun 2002) — 50 m backstroke; 50 m butterfly
- Matěj Zábojník (8 Mar 2000) — 50/100/200 m breaststroke
