Jonáš Mareček's parents: We are proud of him!
Men Sprint will kick off the biathlon action in Vysočina Arena on Thursday. It is safe to say that all six Czech men will have full support of the home crowd, including Jonáš Mareček, who started his biathlon career in Nové Město na Moravě. We talked to his parents – mother Alena and father Josef – who revealed some interesting facts about their son. They also both mention how proud they are of him.
Jonáš himself told in the interview yesterday that having his mum supporting him on the stadium is a great achievement as she does not come to watch him live too often.
Is it true what Jonáš said about you not watching him live too often?
Alena: “It is, I get very nervous watching him compete. When they broadcast the competitions on TV, I walk around the house or get out on the terrace and avoid the key moments this way. Later, I get my husband or younger son to tell me what happened. Watching from the stands this week, I am sure we will get pumped up by the atmosphere. The biathlon fans are amazing and we get a lot of positive feedback from them.”
Can you describe him as an athlete?
Josef: “I don’t differentiate between him as an athlete and a person. He’s responsible, caring, easygoing. Is he the perfect son? I don’t know, we don’t see him much now, he’s more traveling than being at home. But being here at the stadium, it’s all about him. He has only missed one training session since he started with biathlon.”
How did Jonáš get into biathlon?
Alena: He got to try shooting an air gun once as a child and he managed to take down all five of those little figures starting from the biggest to the smallest. He got complimented from the man at the shooting range. At that time he was about 9 years old and had to wait a year before joining the biathlon club.
Where are you going to watch the competitions in Nové Město?
Both agree: “We plan to watch all of the competitions from Thursday to Sunday from stand C, where Jonáš has secured tickets for us. Usually we cheer from alongside the tracks like all the home fans. It will be different this time, but we are really proud of him.”
Photo: Marek Ambrož
