KOSTELECKY David

General
CAREER CHOICE
At age 20 he entered university and decided to pursue his education instead of sport because he felt it would increase his options in the future. He later reversed his decision and decided to pursue a career in shooting. "When I started shooting it was right after the [Velvet] Revolution. So when I started everything was broken, the system and everything. I didn't want to rely on shooting only. I realised when I was 20 years old, going to the world championship as a junior, that maybe I could go to the Olympic Games. On the other hand, I saw many people here [in the Czech Republic], who had dedicated their lives to the sport, but after they retired, they didn't really know what to do. So I tried to go to university. I only spent one day at the university. On the first day I thought, 'This is not for me', and then I left. So I continued shooting, and when I was 21 I went to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. I think if I didn't go to Atlanta, I wouldn't still shoot. I think I would have stopped and done something else." (Ben Husthwaite YouTube channel, 17 May 2020)

MENTAL COACH
He says working with a mental coach has helped him during his sporting career. "Back then, athletes were more ashamed of it, now [speaking in 2020] if an athlete says he doesn't have a mental coach or psychologist, it's weird. My gold medal at the [2008] Olympic Games was the result of our four-year collaboration. You have to find a person who will fit you, who you will trust, and at such a level you have to know yourself, and if such a person helps you to do that, it is an advantage." (sport.tn.nova.cz, 23 Apr 2020)