Czech Republic wants third gold for Lukas Krpalek

This weekend The Czech Republic is ready to welcome all male athletes for the last stop of the European Opens during the qualifying period for Rio 2016. In Prague over 300 competitors amongst 58 nations will be on show at Arena Sparta in Prague. Among the athletes 2014 World Champion Lukas Krpalek fighting U100kg. Krpalek can defend his title of 2014 and continue his streak, also in 2012 Lukas won the Czech Open.

Only a few men were able to win the prestigious tournament which was held since 1967. Peter Jákl (1997) and Roman Karger (1992) were the winners for Czech Republic and Jirí Sosna and father Pavel Petrikov both in 1989 in the time of Czechoslovakia.

Krpalek will not face too much competition as he is the only fighter in the World top 3. Ramziddin Sayidov is the second highest ranked athlete, at 29 in the World Ranking U100kg.

U66kg Dzmitry Shershan is ranked tenth. Over all European Open’s held since 2013 Shershan won the most in the men’s division: 3, in Tbilisi (2013), Madrid (2014) and four weeks ago in Sofia.

Hungarian Barna Bor is ranked fifth, fighting +100kg, with Shershan and Krpalek the only three athletes in the World ranking top 10 present in Prague. 

The European Open in Prague is the first major event in the Czech Republic without Alexandr Jurecka, who died last year September during a diving accident.