Blanka Paulů

Blanka Paulů made her international début at the 1974 World Championships, where she won a surprising silver medal in the 5 km and a bronze medal in the relay. But the high point of her career probably came a decade later at the 1984 Winter Olympics, when she, Dagmar Švubová, Gabriela Svobodová and Květa Jeriová won a surprising silver medal in the relay and she was fourth in 20 km. Besides those successes, Paulů also competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics and at the 1978, 1982 and 1985 World Championships. She also won two individual World Cup races – 10 km in March 1982 at Štrbské Pleso and the 5 km in January 1983 at Sarajevo. Paulů was also known as a strong road and cross-country runner, winning the Běchovice-Prague road run in 1983. Paulů retired from sports in 1985 and later worked as a school teacher and cross-country skiing coach. From 2006-10, she was deputy mayor of Vrchlabí and since 2010 has been the city councilor of Vrchlabí.