Jindřich Morávek represented our club at the EYC in Ostrava

From July 11 to 20, Ostrava hosted the European Youth Championships in table tennis for the third time. The RT Torax Arena welcomed the top European talent, and the home crowd created an extraordinary atmosphere. Among the Czech representatives was our club's own Jindřich Morávek, who competed in both the team and individual events.

In the team competition, the Czech squad reached the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by Portugal. Jindřich looks back on the tournament fondly:
"I'll remember this team for a long time. The atmosphere within the squad and the support from the crowd were absolutely incredible. The first few matches were a bit tough for me, but then I found my rhythm," he says, and adds praise for his teammates:
"I'd like to highlight the performances of Martin Šíp and Štěpán Brhel. They played really well in the team event. Even though we didn't get a medal, I think we showed our maximum."

In singles, Jindřich was seeded directly into the main draw thanks to his ranking. He reached the second round, where he lost to Polish player Alan Kulczycki. He names his match against Rafael Kong of Portugal in the team event as his personal highlight:
"I went in when we were down 0–2. I lost the first two sets, but I managed to come back and win. It was a big match."

Playing at home gave the Czech team a boost:
"I think playing on home soil gave us a slight advantage. It gave us energy. On the other hand, it can also add pressure for some players," Jindřich admits. His favorite part of the tournament was the team event:
"The atmosphere with the boys was amazing, and we really worked as a team. That's the category that went best for me."

Jindřich still has one more year left in the junior category, and he thoroughly enjoyed this one.
"I hope we can aim even higher next time. Now I'll take two weeks off to rest, and then I'll get back into training and start preparing for the new season," he adds.

We thank Jindřich for proudly representing our club and the Czech Republic, and we look forward to his future performances!