Both Czech national teams met their goals at the European Championship. Lukáš Klíma’s men’s team placed eighth, as it did last year, and once again advanced to the World Championship, where he can earn additional Olympic points. Zuzana Paulová’s women’s team won the B division and thus ensured the return of Czech curlers to the elite European ten.
The Czech men had a challenging schedule this year. Right at the start, they faced three of last year’s four semi-finalists. Although they did well in some matches, they did not surprise in the end and after two days they had a record of 0:3. On Monday, they played against the Netherlands, which finished a rung higher than the Czech Republic at the EC last year and at the WC this year. Klím’s team got going and led 6:2 after four ends. Subsequently, he relented and allowed his opponents to equalize, but after a successful finish he won 10:7 and thus claimed his first win. Even that evening, the Czechs won over England. The match was decided by five points scored in the third end, from which the opponents never recovered. The Czechs won 12:5. The match against Austria, which is weaker on paper, which made its way to division A from last year’s ME-B, was supposed to be important. The match was played very evenly and the opponents finally used their advantage in the last end and won the decisive point for the final score 9:8. The Czechs then clearly succumbed to the defending Scots and in the end they also lost an exciting battle with Norway. With this, Lukáš Klíma’s team earned a record of 2:7 and eighth place. Thanks to the match against the Netherlands, the Czechs placed higher and stayed in the A division, and at the same time the World Cup awaits them. The Dutch and the English descend. Danes and Poles (with Czech coach Jakub Bareš) will take their place next year.
The Scots (skip Bruce Mouat) reached the final again, but after a three-year reign they had to settle for silver. The German selection of Mark Muskatewitz became the new European champion. The Germans won the gold after twenty years, when Markus Messenzehl, the father of today’s representative Felix, also played in skip Stock’s team. Norwegians (Ramsfjell) won the bronze this year.
“The men’s national team experienced a week full of challenges and obstacles, but once again succeeded in advancing to the World Championship, which will be held in April 2025 in Canada. However, a better performance did not always appear on the scoreboard. In eight of the nine matches played, the Czechs played evenly or they led in the second half of the match,” national coach Wade Scoffin assesses.
“An important win over the Netherlands in midweek proved crucial and decided which of the teams would stay in Division A as well as who would be invited to the World Cup. The path to the 2026 Olympics remains achievable but will require continuous improvement in all aspects of the game. I am proud of the determination and tenacity of the entire team. They will now have a break from competitions until the end of the year,” concludes the national coach.
After last year’s relegation, the Czechs played in division B, i.e. the second European top ten. However, they demonstrated their level with an unequivocal series of wins and already on Wednesday secured their promotion to Saturday’s superstructure. Although the Czech team still lost to the Austrians, this did not affect their participation in the semi-finals. This was decisive, as both finalists are certain to advance to the ME-A. At the same time, there is no other corrective attempt, which is why the entire Czech plans have been concentrated into one match. In the match against Poland (skipka Lipińska), the opponents did relatively well, and thanks to two stolen ends, they led 5:3 at halftime. However, Zuzana Paulová’s team equalized after the break and stole two ends themselves and won 9:6 thanks to their performance in the second half. The final win over Germany (skipka Messenzehl) was just a pleasant cherry on the cake. Both countries for next year
will return to ME-A. We also know the German national team from Prague, as this season they already won the junior EJCT and the adult PLI tournament in Roztyle.
“Even though I wasn’t with them personally, the Czech national team was supported and in the good hands of the very experienced coach Karel Kubeška,” says national coach Wade Scoffin. The women played in Sweden and the men played in Finland at the same time.
“The team played according to its potential and fulfilled the expectations of promotion to the A division of the 2025 European Championship. It also secured an invitation to the Olympic pre-qualification, from which the teams will undergo the Olympic qualification, from which the last two countries will reach the 2026 Olympics. The five female athletes in the Czech team deserve congratulations for your performance in Sweden,” praises the national coach.
More detailed information can be found on the website www.curling.cz/ecc2024/
Source: www.tyden.cz
