Amálie Hilgertová

Where did you start paddling?

In the beginning, I only went occasionally, mostly with my parents on vacation. Later, my parents' friends taught me every summer. In other words, I didn't start in Troy, but now I love it there.

Why are you kayaking?

Why am I paddling? Hmmm. I like to play with water. I love when you take the right shot at the right moment and it shoots you exactly where you want with minimal effort, when you add racing spirit and concentration, it's a dangerously addictive combination. But the most important thing is the people around the sport - they make it so much fun!

You rode horses as a child, why did you win the water slalom in the end?

I found my way to horses on my own and it absorbed me a lot. There were times when I was in the stable seven days a week and I never had enough. I even started riding hobby races, but my parents sometimes took me to the water and then once they took me to Wave and I made great friends there. I saw that even though I don't do much water yet, I am at the level of children who have been riding for some time and I can compete with them. That motivated me a lot. A lot of people also knew me thanks to ours and I was in the community right from the start. Horses weren't much, there I was another strange girl who likes horses, I didn't know anyone very well and I wasn't at the level of children who had been riding since they were little so that one day they could compete. So I would say that the desire to compete, to win, and my friends simply pulled me through.

Who has influenced you the most in your career?

It is very difficult to identify one person, thanks to my parents' friends, I have passed under the hands of many people. Of course, I started with ours, but that didn't work after a while because I got really angry with them. So they always sent me to a training camp somewhere and I was happy because I couldn't snap at anyone anymore and I was among the other kids. I must definitely mention Petříček, who took me to my first training session on Paraplíčko, then Zdenka Grossmanová, who taught me in addition to slalom and downhill and we had a great group of children, Kuba Pruher, who taught me Eskimo, Pavlík Kubričan, who explained to me that I do everything wrong, but he had the patience to reteach me, and last but not least, Jír Prskavac, who basically taught me all the advanced techniques. Now I'm with Michal Buchtel, who is also part of the Hiko team, and I have to say that I couldn't be more excited so far. Our group is the best in the world :)

What is the best and worst part of training?

This probably won't be a hole in the world. I hate winter water training. When Prague is all grey, one would prefer not to go anywhere and have to go wash off in cold water, that's just disgusting. Fortunately, we have the whole winter ahead of us to fly away to the warmth for training, where it is, on the contrary, a complete blast. You completely cut yourself off from everything else and deal only with training, moreover, you meet all your friends from the water there and it is simply such an external world that we always escape to during the winter. It's also a time of learning new things, which is then fun to watch as you gradually put it into practice."

What is your favorite track?

My favorite track is of course the one in Troy. It is the place where I learned how to play with water. I know it the most out of all the courses in the world, so I don't have to paddle as much there and use the water more. I also like Penrith in Australia where we spend most of the winter. The main wave in the middle of the channel is great. Recently I liked the track in Ivrea, which is a combination of a natural river and an artificial canal.

Who is the best kayaker in the world?

That's definitely my coach, especially in theory, he always does it all like a world champion :D Right now I think in the female kayak category it's Jess Fox, who recently joined the Hiko team, and then Rici Funk. Both have moments in their racing where you just have to stare and think, how is this possible? But I would say that there are a lot of inspiring people around slalom and it would be a shame to summarize it only on those who win medals.

What are your next plans and goals?

I don't like to set long term goals because I think you have to be flexible in life, but I definitely have some dreams. I would really like to get to the Olympics one day, but in a good way.

What do you like to follow on Instagram the most?

I love funny comics, my favorite account is "safeyendangered" and "LizClimo", they always make me laugh and make my day. I also like the "zanormalnigirly" project.

What do you like to do when you're not paddling?

I walk my dogs, read books and travel with friends. I also like to practice yoga and skiing.