Tereza Jakschová

Happy birthday to Czechia’s sprinter Tereza Jakschová, a two-time Paralympian and a European medallist in the T47 sprints.

Tereza has run at two Paralympic Games. In Tokyo she clocked 12.95 over 100m and 26.81 over 200m, and in Paris she was back on the start line for both events again. In between she finished ninth at a World Championships and came home from the European Championships with two medals, silver and bronze. Alongside the sprints she holds Czech national records at 400m and 800m and in the shot, the discus, the high jump, the long jump and the pentathlon, which is a spread that borders on absurd. Most athletes spend a career trying to own one event.

The origin story explains a lot of it. She started athletics at fifteen and spent her early years racing against non-disabled fields, only entering para competition in 2013. She arrived by turning up at an ordinary Czech athletics club and being fast, and she still trains alongside non-disabled athletes at Slavia Praha.

A career that includes two Paralympic Games, European medals in both colours and a fistful of national records across seven events puts her among the most versatile athletes Czech sport has produced this century. There is nothing on that list she was handed.

Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám, Tereza! Hodně zdraví, štěstí a lásky, a ať ti zpívají Živijó až do rána. 🎂🎁🎉🫶🫶🇨🇿