Seventh place in the skiathlon at the Olympics, two top-10 finishes in the World Cup. Kateřina Janatová experienced a season full of emotions. She is slowly looking towards the end of her career, but adds that her motivation is greater than ever before.

Kateřina Janatová knows how to time her form perfectly. She proved this at the Olympics in Italy, where she secured seventh place in the skiathlon — a result that speaks volumes about her abilities. Nevertheless, she evaluates the entire season with characteristic self-criticism: an exceptional opportunity, but not always exceptional results.

“I wanted to finish in the top 10 at the Olympics. I was seventh, so I achieved my main goal. The rest was rather average, and I don’t like to perform average,” she states candidly in an interview with czech-ski.com.

“I really enjoyed the skiathlon and I cherish the memories of it. It will be one of my best races for a long time — it was truly a great experience.”

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Preparation done right

Behind her excellent Olympic result lies a bold decision: to skip the end of the World Cup season and focus solely on preparation. Janatová knew what she needed. “I’ve never trained better before. It was quality training; I ate well, slept well, I was relaxed and looking forward to the Olympics. I wasn’t stressed.”

The pre-Olympic sprint in Oberhof — a ninth-place finish in the 10 kilometers classic — added to her inner calm. The course, which historically had not been kind to her, pushed her in the right direction this time. And then came the skiathlon.

End of an era, influx of new energy

The past season also brought farewells. Barbora Antošová, Adéla Nováková, Adam Fellner, and Ondřej Černý — some of Janatová’s close teammates decided to retire. “I recently woke up at night and felt sad that we won’t see each other anymore,” she admits. At the same time, she senses a new energy flowing into the team — young athletes like Jiří Tuž are emerging on the world stage.

Janatová sees herself more as an experienced guide than a competitor to them. “I’d like to pass on something to them before I finish. I’ll be happy if it helps them reach the level they aspire to.”

New motivation

After the season, she went to France to recharge with her family. She returned — paradoxically — with more eagerness to work than ever before. “In the past, I was very tired after the season. Now I feel more determined and have found new motivation to push myself a bit further.”

Where did this motivation come from? Janatová is honest: she sees that great results are achievable within the team. And she wants to stop setting the bar low for herself before the start.

“Sometimes I’m too rational and I could believe a bit more that a great race could happen, even when I don’t feel completely ready,” she concludes, adding: “I’ve been inspired by the great successes in the team, and nothing is unrealistic. Sometimes I’m too rational and I could believe a bit more that I can have a great race, even when I don’t feel completely ready. There can always be surprises. I’m getting older and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be skiing, so it makes sense to keep pushing forward. That’s what I want to maintain.”

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