A morning with the president: the athletes went for a run with him

It was 7:30 in the morning - while Prague was just waking up, a group of top Czech athletes were already getting fit - and not just for the fun of it. The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, invited them to the sart of a morning run.

"I was worried that we would chase the athletes, but they were nice to us, so I hope we all enjoyed it," the President smiled.

"So far, running is ok for me, although doctors say that with age my hips and knees will not give it anymore and I will have to switch to walking or another sport," he recounted cheerfully. "But as long as I can, I'll keep running. My staff and I run like this regularly."

Alongside him on the roughly 4.5 km route were Czech national athletes: water slalom racers and Olympic medallists or world champions Lukáš Rohan, Vít Přindiš and Vavřinec Hradílek, hockey stars Daniela Pejšová and Radko Gudas, as well as talented ski crosser Diana Cholenská and the chairwoman of the Czech Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission, Nikol Kučerová. Jiří Kejval, the President of the Czech Olympic Committee, did not miss the run.

I think everyone really enjoyed it and the weather was good," said Kejval. "I also hope that this run is a message to our citizens, especially the kids, to get everyone moving more and to know that sports can be done at any age."

Běh s prezidentem republiky 2025

World hockey champion Radko Gudas was also happy to run. "And I hardly run at all, at most some sprints of 50 metres. This was something completely different. I surprised myself that I ran it with others," described the thirty-five-year-old seasoned fighter from the NHL. I enjoyed it, it was great and it was nice to see the whole city of Prague."

Daniela Pejšová, the Czech national hockey player, added: "It was good to run off the hockey rink into the morning in Prague. This type of event has power - it shows that sport is not just hard work, but also connects people."

The water slalom racers agreed: "It was really fun and it was great to be able to run at Prague Castle and in places we don't normally get to. It's not a bad tradition at all."

The athletes' meeting with the head of state was informal, but for many it was also symbolic. The personal presence of the President, who has long made no secret of his support for Czech sport, was a strong gesture according to all participants.

"Moreover, the President confirmed that he will definitely go to the Winter Olympics to cheer on our athletes," Kejval added.