Gabriela Soukalova. Photo: Reuters

Famous Czech biathlete Gabriela Soukalova seriously thinking about retirement.

Czech journalist Pavel Novotny announced that Gabriela Soukalova will soon announce retirement. 28-year-old athlete this season did not participate in the official competitions because of health problems.

“And do you want the truth about the situation with Koukalova? First. She was bulimic, but now it’s over. Second. She really didn’t train almost all past season. Third. She had not the best relationship with teammates.

Fourth. Next winter she’s not coming back. She will never come back. Summer will be announced the end of his career,” said Novotny.

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Disturbing news began to arrive in October. Koukalova said that since June is experiencing pain in the calf muscles, which were not able to fully prepare for the season.

“The beginning of the season I miss. But I have to admit that the Olympics is also under threat. Nothing clear, but I continue to believe that he will go to Pyeongchang”, she said.

Koukalova arrived at the first world Cup in Ostersund, trained there, but in the race did not participate. There were hopes that she will be able to return in January, but they quickly vanished. And on January 12 it was officially announced that the Olympics Koukalova will not go.

“I tried to do everything possible to return, but he didn’t. I’m really sorry. The Olympics – the pinnacle of the career of any athlete,” – she complained.

However, some questioned the official version of events.

“As a physician who is not connected with the Czech team, I don’t have any details of medical diagnostics Koukalova, however, the official statement, that it is only a problem with the muscles or tendons. It’s hard to believe that the treatment of this problem requires such a large amount of time. Therefore, from a medical point of view, I have a lot of questions about, for example, is it really the only problem that bothers Koukalova, or is there something else going on that we are not misleading. Of course, we don’t know all the details, but I, as a doctor, it’s hard to believe that Kokalova the problem is only with muscles,” saying, for example, Gunter Beck, a former biathlete from Austria, who is now chief doctor of one of the largest medical centers in the country.

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However Koukalova known not only for its results – and it is a two-time world champion and two-time medalist of the 2014 Olympics – and tough anti-Russian rhetoric. Her position is firm and unshakable.

It all started last season, shortly after the two parts of the report, Richard McLaren and the beginning of investigations of alleged system of doping in Russian sports.

“I’m sorry, but I do not believe anyone in this team,” she said in January 2017.

In March, after one of the races on the world Cup stage in Holmenkollen she refused to shake hands with the President of the IBU Anders Besseberg. “Besseberg has long does not know what to do. If he knew what to do, it would already be gone. He is not interested in the rights of the athletes, nor the conditions of their performances, and thinks only of himself”, she explained his action.

In the fall, when the disciplinary Commission of the IOC under the leadership of Dennis Oswald others were suspended Russian athletes Koukalova called for the suspension of Russia from the Games in 2018.

“I advocate that doping violations are a serious crime and not to allow the Russians to participate in the Olympic games! Let everything be as it was at the summer Games in 2016”, she said.

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Whether Koukalova going to retire? If everything Novotny writes, indeed the case, it seems quite likely. Health problems, not the best of relationships with partners is more than serious reasons.

The more that the next Olympic games to wait for another four years is a long time. There is another motivation to plow and to deprive yourself of the simple pleasures of life an ordinary person, who during the downtime Koukalova tasted? World champion she was, the Small crystal globe is… Not only Olympic gold, but now it’s too ghostly.

It is clear that skip an entire season is not a disaster. The same Darya Domracheva not competed even more – first treated mononucleosis, and then was pregnant and nothing came back, and quite successfully. Would be the desire and the physical ability. But do both at Koukalova – the big question.

Dmitry GIRIN, Sport-Express