Martina Sáblíková

www.martina-sablikova.com/
www.facebook.com/Martina.Sablikova.OFFICIAL

Name of coach	Petr Novak [club, national], CZE
Club / Team	NOWIS: Czech Republic
Reason for choosing this sport	She enjoyed the sport, as well as being around other people who were involved in skating. Her parents also encouraged her to begin skating.
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating at age 11 in Zdar nad Sazavou, Czech Republic.

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Pain is temporary." (Athlete, 13 Nov 2019)
Hobbies	Watching movies, reading. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)
Milestones	She has won seven medals [three gold, two silver, two bronze] at the Olympic Winter Games, which is more than any other athlete representing the Czech Republic. In 2014 she became the first athlete representing the Czech Republic to win three Olympic gold medals in the either summer or winter editions of the Games. She claimed two gold medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and then secured a third four years later in Sochi. Snowboarder and alpine skier Ester Ledecka has since matched her total of three gold medals. (SportsDeskOnline, 27 Oct 2022)
Nicknames	Mart'as (Athlete, 13 Nov 2019)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	She always puts her right skate on first before a competition. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)
Memorable sporting achievement	Her performance at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, where she won two gold medals and one bronze medal. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)
Most influential person in career	Her family, and coach Petr Novak. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol	Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, German speed skater Claudia Pechstein. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)
Injuries	In January 2022 she fell and sliced her thigh with her skate during a training camp in Italy. She required eight stitches and was unable to train for 10 days. (nbcolympics.com, 11 Feb 2022; denik.cz, 28 Jan 2022; Facebook page, 03 Jan 2022) She suffered a foot fracture while running in early 2020, and was out of action for one and a half months. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021; world-today-news.com, 02 Jul 2020) She was troubled by injuries to her back and her knee during the 2017/18 season. She was unable to train full-time until six weeks before the start of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. (tyden.cz, 03 Sep 2018; OIS, 07 Feb 2018) She struggled with knee pain during the 2016/17 season. She limited her training during the off-season in 2017 in order to recover from the problem. (sport.idnes.cz, 11 Oct 2017; aktualne.cz, 10 Oct 2017) She began experiencing back pain in December 2012. (ceskatelevize.cz, 09 Apr 2013) In 2007 she tore a ligament in her shoulder after a fall in training. (idnes.cz, 02 Nov 2007)
Other sports	She has represented the Czech Republic in road cycling. She was ranked 12th in the individual time trial at the 2015 World Championships in Richmond, VA, United States of America. (SportsDeskOnline, 26 Jan 2017)
Famous relatives	Her younger brother Milan Sablik has represented the Czech Republic in speed skating. He finished 23rd in the big combination at the 2012 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (SportsDeskOnline, 04 Oct 2013; sportnavigator.nl, 30 Jun 2005)
Awards and honours	In 2021 she received the Jiri Stanislav Guth-Jarkovsky Award from the Czech Olympic Committee for the third time. The award is presented to the Czech athlete who has performed best that year, and is voted on by fellow athletes. She previously won the award in 2007 and 2010. (sport.cz, 02 Nov 2021) In October 2017 she was presented with the Medal of Merit by the president of the Czech Republic. (irozhlas.cz, 29 Oct 2017) She was named Czech Army Athlete of the Year in 2007, 2009 and 2010. (sport-invest.cz, 04 Mar 2016) She was named Top Czech Sports Talent in 2006 and was voted Sportsperson of the Year in 2007 at the annual Czech Sports Journalists Awards ceremony. (martinasablikova.cz, 01 Dec 2008; aipsmedia.com, 28 Jan 2008) She was flag bearer for the Czech Republic at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. (Facebook page, 14 Dec 2015)