At the WC Trifecta Weekend in Sparta 2022, the Czech team had an incredible success. The Czechs placed excellently both in the Elite and in the Age group. On behalf of the ambassadors from the Czech Republic, Klárka interviewed our king Trifecta Weekend Ríša Hynek.

Surely each of you knows the empire. This year, he defended last year's world champion title in TW in Sparta, and he also became the European champion this year. Overall, he's on stage quite often, so we're sure you've heard of him before. The only twenty-four-year-old representative from Moravian near Pardubice is conquering Europe and the world, and he obviously still has a lot ahead of him. After his second victory in Sparta, he received over 300 congratulations from family, friends and fans!

You recently won Europe and now the TW World Championship. Wow, that's what I call a ride. Did you have time to recover from the EC in London and then train for what you wanted to do before the WC in Sparta?

I've been training very well since the EC in London and I've achieved everything I wanted to achieve in terms of training. I had to travel a lot since ME, so sometimes I didn't get enough sleep and didn't regenerate as I would have liked, but overall I was satisfied with the preparation. Before leaving for Sparta, I knew that I had done everything to place well and I believed that I was on the box. Of course, even though I felt good, I knew that anything could happen. The starting field was full of the best competitors and anyone from the top twenty could win.

Three races in three days must be tough like this in the Elite. On Friday, the pace was said to be downright murderous during the shortest Sprint. What were the following races?

Totally agree, all in all any race with the world's best must go for blood and no one will give anyone a free meter. The sprint was a total massacre, I think we had less than 10 minutes for the first 3 km even with the obstacles. Gregory and Ryan set a really sharp pace. Of course, the next two races were also fast, but it was not for the Sprint. Super was also quite demanding for me, I didn't like the first two races at all. I really struggled on the Supra, heavy legs, lactate... but I still knew that my best discipline was waiting for us on Sunday. I was hoping that I would be able to recover after the Supra by morning, and luckily that happened.

You obviously had the most success on Sunday at the Beast, is that your favorite distance?

Yes, Beast I think is my range. I train on it and feel most comfortable in it. I can keep a fast pace for a long time and it's the perfect track length for me. Especially here at Trifecta Weekend, I had faith in him and was looking forward to Sunday. And when I woke up Sunday morning, I knew it was going to be my day!

This time it was time to celebrate, wasn't it? How was the after-party in Sparta, and is there going to be a celebration when you get home, or will you jump straight into training and celebrate it all at once after you win the title in Abu Dhabi?

The after party in Sparta was great and I really enjoyed it. Not entirely because of the alcohol, considering I don't drink much. I had about half a beer and one shot with someone, so about that much for the party. But I enjoyed it a lot, because we gathered here really all the competitors, organizers, just everyone you normally meet on the track. We really had a lot of fun, even after such a demanding weekend. Fortunately, I caught a second breath before evening, but I probably fell asleep on the way to the cabin.

What did you like/dislike about Sparta? Did you manage to see any sights, or was there only time for the races?

This time I arrived very late - late Wednesday evening. So I devoted the whole of Thursday to regeneration and overall preparation before the races. Then every day after the races, I tried to rest again and mentally and physically prepare for each race separately, so there was no time for traveling at all. But there will definitely be time for souvenirs after the races. I always have it that if I want to look somewhere, it's only after the races, when I don't have to concentrate anymore.

And finally, how do you manage fatigue after the whole season? Do you still have the strength to train for the World Cup in Abu Dhabi? And what else is waiting for you at home to prepare before you fly?

Fatigue is huge. I've been training since January 1st, so it's been a really long time and I feel a little tired during training. But I would still like to finish the Spanish series in Tenerife. I have it up and running quite well, so it would be a shame not to go. I'm thinking about Abu Dhabi. The distance is quite short and I would have to change my training (if it was even possible) to be ready for it. In addition, it runs in sand, and a heavy giant like me doesn't have much to gain from it. I know that everything is possible when you want it, but it doesn't seem very realistic to me to prepare from training for TW Sparta to the 10km WC. Moreover, in that competition... But we'll see. Tenerife in 14 days is a certainty and then I will see how tired it will be. I'd hate to drag it out. I could spoil the upcoming season by doing that and I definitely don't want that. I would very much like to defend the title in Sparta again next year and I already know that it will be very difficult, if it is even possible, but we will see what next season brings.

Ríša, congratulations once again and we wish you a successful end to the Spanish series. We'll be rooting for you all next season and maybe even worse he manages to get that hat trick.

Thank you so much for the interview and for all the support, I really appreciate it!

Klára Viršíková

Spartan Ambassador Czech rep.