Athlete profile: Katerina Neumannova

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Though just 20 years old in Lillehammer, Neumannova entered the Games as one of the favorites to win a medal in the shorter distances...she left Norway with just two top-10 finishes and a wealth of experience...elite cross-country skiers usually take some time to mature and Neumannova is apparently no different -- especially since cross-country was not even the sport of choice for her in her youth...her World Cup ranking has improved every season, reaching a high of three last year, and she won her first individual world championship medal last winter when she finished third in the 15 km freestyle in Trondheim, Norway last February...until age 16, Neumannova's primary sport was kayaking...she was the top junior kayaker in Czechoslovakia until she was derailed by a back injury...while physicians prEventsed her from kayaking, they suggested she keep active by cross-country skiing, a sport she has dabbled in since youth and put less strain on her back...Neumannova rapidly developed, and after a year, when given the option of revitalizing her rowing career, she decided to continue skiing..."In the Czech Republic there is not so good possibilities for rowing," she says. "Maybe I'd be the best in the Czech Republic but not so good in Europe. And cross-country is a better sport for girls. In rowing, you must lift weights in the winter. That is not very good for a woman's looks"...one year after the switch, Neumannova was named to the Czechoslovak junior team, and then was invited to the 1991 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy...the then-18-year-old finished 15th in the 5 km classic and just one year later, she was in the Olympics..."Everything happened so quickly," she says. "But when I start a sport, I want to be the best in a short time. I don't like waiting. I like training and then seeing the results"...patience is probably not one of Neumannova's virtues..."I want more difficult training than the other girls," said Neumannova at the Worlds in 1993. "This year I have been to one national team camp. The girls had the afternoon free every second day. When they had their second free day, I had my first"...during the next few summers, Neumannova would travel to the Czech Republic's Sumava Mountains to train...in the mornings, Neumannova mountain biked and ran in the woods, and in the afternoon she spent her time planting trees...she estimates that she planted 2,500 small trees each year..."I like the nature in Sumava," says Neumannova. "I go slowly along my skis sometimes just to admire the nature. Hopefully, years from now, someone else will still find this nature beautiful"...though it probably took longer than she had hoped, all this hard work is finally paying dividends on the competitive scene...she won the bronze medal in the 15 km freestyle in Trondheim last year..."For me it was a great surprise," said Neumannova after finishing. "I never thought it would go so well, since I have been a little unwell this week"...Neumannova almost collected another medal in the 10 km Pursuit, coming from behind to push Russia's Nina Gavriljuk to the end...starting in sixth position, Neumannova almost forced the race to a photo-finish, but Gavriljuk managed to sprint away just before the finish line in one of the most exciting races in Trondheim...when Katerina first started, she was better at the sprints and favored the classical...as she has gotten closer to her prime, her distance endurance has improved and she has proven capable in the skating discipline as well...look for her at the first medal Events in Nagano -- the 15 km freestyle on February 8th...her birthday is the day before the team relay...although her first name is Katerina, Neumannova prefers to be addressed by her nickname, Katka...she grew up in an upper middle class family in Pisek, a town of 30,000 in the southern part of the Czech Republic...her father, Milan, is a dentist and her mother, Zdenka, is a former gymnast and currently a biology teacher...her older brother is a doctor...as a child, Katka was given an English tutor by her parents and she is conversant in English...