Josef Dostál withdraws from kilometer race at Canoe World Championships

Olympic champion Josef Dostál has withdrawn from the kilometer event at the upcoming sprint canoeing World Championships in Poznań, Poland, due to a viral illness. He will instead focus exclusively on the 500-meter race, where he aims to defend his world title. Tomáš Sobíšek will replace him in the kilometer event.

The championships serve as a critical component of Olympic qualification, with placement points multiplied by a 1.5 coefficient. For the Czech national federation, the best individual placement across distances from 200 to 5000 meters counts toward qualification.

Martin Fuksa, another Czech Olympic champion, enters the competition in strong form. He is scheduled to compete in three disciplines: the individual kilometer, the 500-meter, and a double event with his brother, Petr Fuksa. Additionally, Jakub Špicar and Daniel Havel will compete in the double kayak, while the quartet of Špicar, Havel, Jakub Brabec, and Radek Šlouf will represent the country in the four-person kayak.