Jana Horáková

Jana Horáková (born 4 September 1983 in Prostějov) is a Czech professional BMX cyclist.[1] Having started BMX racing at age fifteen, Horakova has claimed numerous Czech national titles, eight European championship titles (a conglomerate of under-12, junior, and elite), and more importantly, two bronze medals in the women's elite category at the UCI World Championships (2002 and 2007).[2][3] She also represented her nation Czech Republic at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has been racing professionally for most of her sporting career on the Suzuki-RB Team, before signing an exclusive, three-year sponsorship contract with Duratec in 2010.[4]

Jana Horáková
Personal information
Full nameJana Horáková
Born (1983-09-04) 4 September 1983
Prostějov, Czechoslovakia
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Team information
Current teamDuratec
DisciplineBicycle motocross (BMX)
RoleRider
Rider typeOff road
Professional teams
2003–2009Suzuki-RB Team
2010–Duratec
Medal record
Women's BMX racing
Representing  Czech Republic
UCI World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2002 Paulínia BMX
Bronze medal – third place2007 Victoria BMX
Bronze medal – third place2005 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Four-cross

Horakova qualified for the Czech squad, as a lone female rider, in women's BMX cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by receiving an automatic berth from the Czech Cycling Union based on her top-ten performance at the UCI BMX World Rankings.[5] After she surprisingly grabbed an eighth seed on the morning prelims with a time of 38.077, Horakova could not match a stellar ride in her semifinal heat with 16 positioning points and a fifth-place finish, narrowly missing out the top-eight final by a two-point deficit.[6][7][8]

In September 2011, Horakova had tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol while participating in fourcross mountain biking at the World Championships. On 28 June 2012 the Union Cycliste Internationale had officially decided to order Horakova a two-year suspension from the UCI World Championships, and more importantly, from the Olympic Games in London, despite being appealed by the Czech Cycling Union earlier of that year.[9][10]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jana Horáková". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  2. "US celebrates two titles and five medals at Worlds". Radio Prague. 29 July 2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  3. "Horakova wins world cycling bronze". Cycling News. 15 September 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  4. "Horáková vyráží směr Londýn na Duratecu a Rubenách" [Horáková marches bikes on London with Duratec and Rübenach] (in Czech). MTBS. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  5. Starkman, Randy (1 June 2008). "Canada's BMX medal hope Cools turns in gallant effort in China". Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  6. "Women's BMX Seeding". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  7. "Women's BMX Semifinals Heat 1". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  8. "Big names advance in BMX, but not without crashes". The Star (Malaysia). 20 August 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  9. "Horáková vyráží směr Londýn na Duratecu a Rubenách" [Czech BMX rider Horakova miss Games after positive doping test] (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  10. "Cyklistka Horáková přišla kvůli dopingu o nominaci na olympijské hry" [Cyclist Horáková ends her nomination for the Olympic Games due to doping] (in Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
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