Erik Vlček

Erik Vlček (2015)

Erik Vlček (born December 29, 1981 in Komárno , Czechoslovakia ) is a Slovak canoeist who won two silver and one bronze medals at the Olympic Games and was ten times world champion.

Career

The 1.89 m tall Erik Vlček first took part in the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. Together with Richard Riszdorfer , Róbert Erban and Juraj Tarr , he took fourth place in the four- person kayak over 1000 meters. The following year, the Slovak four-man with Richard Riszdorfer, Michal Riszdorfer , Erik Vlček and Juraj Bača took third place over 500 meters at the 2001 World Championships in Poznan . In Seville in 2002 and in Gainesville in 2003 , the Slovak four-man won both the 500 meter and 1000 meter title in the same line-up as in 2001. At the Olympic Games, only the competition over 1000 meters is held in a four-person kayak. In 2004 in Athens the Hungarian foursome won the gold medal in front of the German boat. Behind them Richard and Michal Riszdorfer, Erik Vlček and Juraj Bača received the bronze medal just ahead of the Bulgarian boat.

At the 2005 World Championships in Zagreb, the Slovak four-man with the Riszdorfers, Erik Vlček and Róbert Erban won silver over 1000 meters behind the German boat. Richard Riszdorfer and Erik Vlček competed over 500 meters in a two- person kayak and took sixth place. In 2006 the World Championships were held in Szeged. The Riszdorfers, Erban and Vlček finished fifth over 1000 meters, but won the title over 500 meters. In 2007 in Duisburg, the Slovak four-man with the Riszdorfers, Vlček and Juraj Tarr won the bronze medal over 1000 meters behind the Germans and the Poles. The Slovaks won over 500 meters ahead of the Belarusians. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, the Belarusians won over 1000 meters ahead of the Slovaks in the 2007 occupation and the Germans.

In 2009 at the World Championships in Dartmouth the Riszdorfers, Vlček and Tarr won over 1000 meters bronze behind Belarus and France and over 200 meters silver behind Belarus. In 2010 in Poznan , the Slovak four-man missed the final. In 2011 in Szeged the Riszdorfers, Vlček and Tarr finished fourth again over 1000 meters. Erik Vlček and Peter Gelle also competed in a two-person kayak over 1000 meters, the two of them won the title ahead of the Swedes and the Russians. At the Olympic Games in London in 2012 , Erik Vlček reached the final in both the two-man over 1000 meters and the four-man. In a two-person kayak he and Peter Gelle took eighth place. The four-person kayak with Peter Gelle, Martin Jankovec , Juraj Tarr and Erik Vlček crossed the finish line as the sixth boat.

After a less than successful 2013, Tarr and Vlček won the bronze medal in the two-man kayak over 1000 meters behind the boats from Germany and France at the 2014 European Championships . At the World Championships in Moscow, they won both over 500 meters and over 1000 meters. In 2015 the two won silver at the European Championships over 500 meters behind the Germans . Three and a half months later, the two finished fourth over 1000 meters at the World Championships in Milan . The Slovak four-man with Denis Myšák , Erik Vlček, Juraj Tarr and Tibor Linka won over 1000 meters ahead of the Hungarians and the Czechs. The four-man competed in the same line-up at the 2016 European Championships . The Slovaks won over 1000 meters in front of the Russians and the Poles, over 500 meters the Slovaks received silver behind the Hungarians. At the end of his career, Erik Vlček took part in the Olympic Games for the fifth time. At the Olympic regatta in Rio de Janeiro he finished eighth in a two-person kayak over 1000 meters together with Juraj Tarr. The Germans won in the four-man kayak, behind them Denis Myšák, Erik Vlček, Juraj Tarr and Tibor Linka won the silver medal in front of the Czechs.

Erik Vlček started for the ŠKP Bratislava club . He is married and has two daughters.

Web links

Commons : Erik Vlček  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Erik Vlček in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Erik Vlček at canoeicf.com