Born in the small village of Kořenov near to the ski resort of Harrachov in northern Czechoslovakia, it was only natural that Ladislav Rygl would become proficient in winter sports. He became skilled in Nordic combined, winning silver at the European Junior Championships in 1967. This earned Rygl a place on the Olympic team for the 1968 Grenoble Games where he finished 16th. His best performance came two years later when he won individual gold at the 1970 World Nordic Ski Championships and was named the Czechoslovak athlete of the year. In 1972 Rygl won bronze at the Winter Universiade and competed at his second Olympics, finishing 26th at the Sapporo Games. He was forced to retire from the sport shortly afterwards following an accident that required spinal surgery. Despite this he continued to work as a coach for the junior national team, in addition coaching in Switzerland. His son was also a noted Nordic combined skier who represented the Czech Republic at three Olympic Games.
Czechoslovakia
Czechia