FasterSkier

Tag: Martin Bajcicak

  • Team 18: Slovakia

    Slovakia

    2009-2010 Nations Cup Ranking: 16th (419 pts)

    2010-2011 Nations Cup Ranking: 18th (377 pts)

    Men: 18th (47 pts)

    Women: 13th (330 pts)

    2011/2012 World Cup Team

    Men

    Martin Bajcicak

    Peter Mlynar

    Women

    Alena Prochazkova

    Katarina Garajova

     

    What You May Have Missed Last Season

    Alena Prochazkova was by far and away the biggest Slovak standout on the World Cup, as she amassed 315 World Cup points single-handedly – good enough for 22nd in the World Cup overall standings.

    At 28 years old, Prochazkova has been a strong sprinter for the last several seasons, and gets the job done in both skate and classic. This past season she went 7 for 9 in qualifying for sprints on the World Cup, and in the two days she failed to qualify, she finished 31st and 35th.

    While she failed to pick up a medal this past season, she had enviable experience of facing what was possibly the toughest womens final in the history of sprint racing during World Championships in Oslo.

    Sure, she finished last, and was out-gunned pretty much the entire way around the course, but when you’re up against Marit Bjoergen, Petra Majdic, Justyna Kowalczyk, Arianna Follis, and Vesna Fabjan, it’s no cakewalk. By FasterSkier calculations, that’s over 150 World Cup medals in one heat – pretty impressive.

    Martin Bajcicak was tops in very quiet mens squad, and at 35 he posted his smallest World Cup points total since 2003, when he was already a 6-year veteran of the circuit.

    What You Need To Know for This Season

    It isn’t enough that Bajcicak is the top points producer, and one of the two men on the Slovakian National Team – he’s also listed as the mens’ team coach on their website. He’s in the twilight of his career, and it’s not difficult to imagine that he is eyeing up the position for when he retires.

    According to a recent interview, Prochazkova is skipping the first World Cup weekend in Beitostolen, Norway, in favour of focusing on the mini-tour in Kuusamo, Finland, the following week. In the interview she also mentioned her goals were to finish in the top 10in the Sprint Cup, and that while funding for Slovakian sport has been reduced, she has not been affected.

    Who You Should Watch

    Peter Mlynar is still young, and has had a few bright spots, including a 12th place in the team sprint in Oslo, where he and Ivan Batory paired up. The 23 year old hasn’t had much success on the World Cup to date, but cleaned up on the lower-level Slavic Cup last season, winning two sprints.

  • Team 16: Slovakia

    Team 16: Slovakia

    Slovakia

    Nations Cup Ranking: 16th (419 pts)

    Men: 14th (211 pts)

    Women: 18th (208 pts)

    2010/2011 A Team (Best estimate)

    Men

    Ivan Batory

    Martin Bajcicak

    Peter Mlynar

    Michael Malak

    Women

    Alena Prochazkova

    What you may have missed last season:

    Alena Prochazkova finally cementing herself firmly in a position of authority in the Sprint Cup rankings. Prochazkova had sprinting dialed in last season, making the heats in every start she had on the World Cup. Furthermore, she capitalized on her chances, nailing down a bronze medal in her first start of the season in Kuusamo, then making another third place finish in Prague on the Tour de Ski.

    Prochazkova (13) trails Kuitunen on her way to a bronze medal on the 2009/2010 Tour de Ski Prague sprint.

    Meanwhile, her male team mate Martin Bajcicak avoided anything that looked like a sprint, doing his best work over 50 kilometers in Oslo, placing ninth. Between Bajcicak and Ivan Batory, the Slovaks had competent if not outstanding skiing, and even managed a 4×10 k relay team at the Olympics.

    What You Should Know For This Season

    YouTube thinks Ivan Batory’s classic technique is awesome!

    At 26, Alena Prochazkova has emerged in the last couple of years as a bona fide sprint star. She’s versatile, excelling at both classic and skate, and just hitting her prime. While all the summer sprint talk was about Petra Majdic, and how terrible the Oslo World Championship sprint course is, Prochazkova is worthy of a discussing as a very legitimate contender.

    Who You Should Watch

    While Peter Mlynar didn’t exactly blow anybody’s socks off with his performance at the Olympics, finishing 57th in the sprint and helping the relay team to 12th, his age is to his advantage. At 22, with the limited quality and quantity of men on the Slovakian team, Mlynar was given starts last year to gain experience, and there is no reason to think, especially after posting a strong sprint result at Under-23 World Championships, that things will change this season. And Mlynar has been working on his sprinting!