Antonín Hájek

Despite some good results during his career, Czech ski jumper Antonín Hájek’s life was underpinned by tragedy. Hájek made 111 World Cup starts and competed at two Winter Olympics.

Hájek began his career as a junior finishing in fourth place in his age category at the 2005 World Championships. He followed this with several podium placings at the Continental Cup. In early 2007 he finished in the top-10 at a World Cup event for the first time in his career. The following spring Hájek was involved in a serious car accident, which left him unable to walk. After months of training and rehabilitation he made a comeback at the Continental Cup in Rovaniemi, Finland, in December 2009.

In 2010 Hájek jumped 236 metres at the Ski Flying World Championships in Slovenia, setting a national record in the process. The same year he competed at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, finishing in seventh place on the large hill and 21st place on the normal hill. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics Hájek finished in 28th place on the large hill. Hájek retired from the sport in 2015, citing issues around his performance and health.

In 2022 Hájek travelled to Malaysia where he later went missing. A police search was started in October 2022 with his body being eventually found in March 2023. The Czech Ski Association made an announcement stating that Hájek had died in September 2022 after going missing in Langkawi. He was 35.