2024-03-26 13:41:25
Of the Czech skiers, snowboarders and biathletes, Ester Ledecká earned the most in premiums last season. Successes on snowboard and skiing brought her 125,550 Swiss francs (about 3.27 million crowns in conversion). This follows from the financial rankings published by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Roughly two-thirds of the premiums went to three-time Olympic champion Ledecka from the World Cup in downhill skiing. On skis, she decorated the season with Friday’s triumph in the super giant slalom at the SP final in Saalbach. She competed in snowboarding only three times, but each time she took a bonus for the victory, so with a total amount of 40,500 Swiss francs (roughly one million crowns), she ranked fourth in the financial ranking in parallel disciplines.
In it, her younger representative colleague Zuzana Maděrová, who reached the podium for the first time last season, figures in tenth place. She earned a total of 12,300 Swiss francs (about 321,000 crowns.)
There are other Czech representatives in snow sports a long way behind Ledecká. The imaginary second and third place belong to the biathletes, even though they did not reach the medal positions. Thanks to better results at the WC, Markéta Davidová earned more in bonuses according to ČTK calculations. In total, she received 53,550 euros (approx. 1.36 million crowns) for individual starts and shares in relay results.
The best Czech biathlete in the World Cup, Tereza Voborníková, earned a total of 48,600 euros (1.2 million crowns).
Snowboardcrosser Eva Adamczyková, who missed the start of the season due to participation in a dance competition, was close to the biathletes. She jumped into the World Cup in January and by Sunday she had earned 39,525 Swiss francs (roughly one million crowns) in premiums. Among the men, Radek Houser was the most successful in snowboard cross, whose results led by a surprising third place in Saturday’s race in Canada brought him 4,425 Swiss francs (about 115,000 crowns).
At the beginning of the season, the best Czech cross-country skier Michal Novák recorded a lifetime second place in the 20-kilometer race in Ruka, Finland, but he had to miss a number of races, including most of the Tour de Ski, due to illness. In total, he earned bonuses in the amount of 16,225 Swiss francs (about 423,000 crowns).
That was less than the best Czech biathlete, Michal Krčmář. He left the entire season, in which he mostly had below-average results. It brought him 26,400 euros (670,000 crowns).
The king of downhill skiing in the financial rankings was the Swiss Marco Odermatt, who collected premiums in the amount of 810,000 Swiss francs (21.1 million crowns). His compatriot Lara Gutová-Behramiová, who also dominated the overall ranking of the World Cup, earned 574,200 Swiss francs (about 15 million crowns). The best Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hösflot Klaebo had a premium of 326,950 Swiss francs (about 8.5 million crowns) for the racing year 2023/2024.
Rewards for results are not the only income of representatives. They are paid in the resorts (Dukla, Olymp and Victoria) which, together with the unions, participate in the preparation and provision of international races. They also have funding from sponsors and additional income comes from contract bonuses from equipment manufacturers.