It was one amazing ride in Třebíč!
The first medals of the year have been awarded—both from the Czech knock-out sprint championships and the first two stages of the GAPP Czech O-Tour 2026. How did it go in Třebíč? Let’s take a look.
Saturday, April 11, was a packed day – Třebíč hosted five different orienteering races all in one day, with three starts, two quarantines, two finish areas and the start ran continuously from 9:00 to 18:00. On top of that, there were nearly a thousand Czech O-Tour competitors and 176 competitors in the Czech orienteering championships. Fortunately, the April weather gave us a break this time, and the sun made the day enjoyable for everyone who arrived at the arena on Třebíč’s Hrádek.
The gold medal decided by a fall
In the morning, the Czech Championship qualification in the knock-out sprint was on the schedule. The courses in the local housing estate and in the historic area were no walk in the park for anyone, mainly due to several artificial barriers in the terrain, a steep hill at the end of the courses, and control points placed close together (though within the rules). Some of the favorites paid the price for this.
The semifinals followed at half past noon. And those who couldn’t make it to Třebíč could watch the race via the Czech Orienteering YouTube stream. This time, the courses took place in the UNESCO part of Třebíč, and just like in the finals, competitors faced a self-choice. The top two from each semifinal made it directly to the final.
- Women Final: Anna Kynčlová, Lucie Semíková, Jana Pekařová, Lucie Dittrichová, Tereza Rauturier, Tereza Korpasová
- iMen Final: Jakub Chaloupský, Jonáš Hubáček, Tomáš Křivda, Tomáš Drahoňovský, Ondřej Brosch, Tomáš Urbánek
The final was once again held in the UNESCO. The women made a few minor mistakes – even Tereza Rauturier wasn’t immune to them – but she handled the final stretch perfectly and, with massive support from the fans, crossed the finish line to claim the gold. A few meters behind her, Jana Pekařová finished in second place, and Lucie Dittrichová took third place after a close battle.
In the men’s race, Tomáš Křivda and Jakub Chaloupský were leading the pack and battling it out for gold. “We were heading toward the finish line together, but unfortunately Tomáš fell at the corner, which took him out of the sprint with me,” said winner Jakub Chaloupský, describing the unexpected twist in the race. According to him, he felt confident about sprinting against Tomáš Křivda, but only future races will show who is in better form in the finish. Tomáš Křivda took silver, and junior Tomáš Urbánek claimed the bronze.
- Results KO sprint: Qualification, Semifinals, Finals, Overall
- Livelox KO sprint: Qualification, Semifinals, Finals
- Stream KO sprint
GAPP Czech O-Tour: In the Footsteps of the Czech National Championships
Competitors in the GAPP Czech O-Tour had the chance to race on the same terrain as the top Czech runners in the Czech Championships. In the morning, they faced route choices in Kočičina and enjoyed stunning views from Masaryk’s Lookout and Žižka’s Mound. The afternoon was spent weaving through the narrow streets on the slopes of the UNESCO centre. The longest categories also ventured across the Jihlava River to Třebíč’s largest square, which served as the finish line for the 2005 Czech Championships.
And anyone who had a spare moment between races certainly wasn’t bored. In addition to refreshments in the arena, there was the O-bazaar (proceeds of 11,000 CZK will go to the “Children sport clubs charity”), the Sporticus maze (with 948 read-outs), the GAPP photo booth, first aid with artificial intelligence, virtual reality glasses, and even a kids’ race to find the lost Easter Bunny. And what about the wall of mistakes – how did you like it?
Thank you for participating, and we look forward to seeing you at the next GAPP Czech O-Tour 2026 events! We’d also like to thank all the organizers – it takes a lot of dedication to pull off both the Czech Championships and the Czech O-Tour in a single day!
You can look forward to our popular case study on the preparations and the course setting of the races soon. Just like our reports from Žacléř, Prague Zoo and Mirakulum, it will be a longer read, but it will be worth it. You might even find out what it’s like to redraw over 1,000 maps the day before the race…
