We are proud to support, as partners, those who coach with heart. The Best Coach of the Year 2025 takes home not only a prestigious award but also Czech PRIM watches – a symbol of precision, tradition, and endurance. Congratulations to the winners, Pavel Davídek and Radim Rulík! Thank you to all coaches who inspire the next generations of athletes!
Whether on the grass, water, or track, they are right at home, yet the coaches were not fazed even when they became direct participants in a theatre performance. The Coach of the Year awards ceremony took place at the Činoherní klub theatre during the play The Ladies’ Tailor. The individual category was won by Pavel Davídek – the coach with whom kayaker Josef Dostál built on a string of silver and bronze Olympic medals and won the coveted gold in Paris.
In the poll of the Czech Coaching Academy, which is part of the Czech Olympic Committee, the team sports category was won for the second time by Radim Rulík, who led the golden hockey team at last year’s World Championship in Prague. The Discovery Coach award went to Jiří Šusta, thanks to whom many promising young footballers reached the top level. The Para Sport Coach award was given to Petr Theil, who helps para swimmer David Kratochvíl, the Paralympic champion from Paris, achieve success. Seven great names were inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Oldřich Kubišta, coach of the bronze-medal fencers from Paris.
“You have a rare combination of two dangerous viruses – the Šusta virus and the Šmicer virus,” said one of the actors during a humorous sketch about a football coach and his former protégé. “The Šusta virus left its mark on children and youth in the Slavia virus colony. One of his greatest discoveries was creating the Šmicer virus mutation. That one then wreaked havoc on the British Isles. But what would I give you for that,” he pondered. “Why, the title – Discovery Coach, of course.”
Individual Category
Pavel Davídek began his coaching collaboration with kayaker Josef Dostál in 2022. Thanks to his education in physiotherapy, he brought a fresh perspective to the training process. He introduced different training methods, including specific paddling with a resistance band. This approach led to improved performance, which was particularly evident in the 2024 season. Dostál triumphed at the Olympic Games in Paris in the 1000 metres and also won the world title in the non-Olympic 500 metres.
“I would like to thank my family, Pepa, the whole team, and Dukla,” he said. “We coaches are also like directors during a race. But once it kicks off, there’s not much you can do. Since Pepa won the Olympics, we have attended many award ceremonies. This format is unconventional, but beautiful.”
Team Sports
Radim Rulík is behind a number of remarkable results. In 2022, he took over as head coach of the U-20 national team and won a silver medal at the World Championship at the turn of the year. In 2023, he was appointed head coach of the Czech national ice hockey team, with which he won the world title last year after a 14-year wait.
“The award makes me very happy, but it is far from being my work alone. A great group of hockey players and the entire coaching staff came together, all striving for victory. They gave their maximum for success. And of course, the enormous support of the home fans drove us forward.”
Discovery Coach
Jiří Šusta is one of the prominent Czech football coaches who have left an indelible mark on the history of youth talent development. His name is most associated with the discovery of Vladimír Šmicer, later a national team player and Champions League winner in 2005 with Liverpool. Šusta is known for his eye for talent, thanks to which many promising footballers reached the top level. In addition to Šmicer, players such as David Jarolím, Martin Pěnička, Radek Bejbl, Martin Hyský, Jiří Štajner, and Lukáš Jarolím also passed through his guidance.
Para Sport Coach
Petr Thiel works with both able-bodied athletes and para swimmers. Among his greatest achievements is his collaboration with David Kratochvíl, whom he guided to the titles of Paralympic champion, World champion, and European champion. Alongside Kratochvíl, he trains other talented swimmers, including the outstanding Alex Borská and Tadeáš Strašík. Thiel is also one of the founders of the Ústí Academy of Swimming Sports, which he co-founded in 2015 and where he still coaches today.
Hall of Fame
Oldřich Kubišta – Fencing
Oldřich Kubišta is a prominent figure in Czech fencing, a long-time national team member and successful coach. As a competitor, he specialised in épée fencing and became a junior world champion in 1980. The pinnacle of his career was his participation at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, where he finished 6th in the team event. Since 1993, he has served as head coach of USK Praha, and between 1999 and 2013, he held the position of head coach of the Czech Fencing Federation. Since 2021, he has led the Czech men’s épée team, winning a historic bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Miroslav Beránek – Football
Football coach and former player Miroslav Beránek is known for his successful career at both club and national team level. As a coach, he led several Czech and foreign clubs, including Slavia Praha, with whom he won the Czech Cup in 2002. He played a significant role in the success of the Czech U-21 national team, leading them to the European Championship title in 2002. He also served as an assistant with the senior national team and managed the national team of Kazakhstan, as well as working in Hungary. Throughout his career, he was renowned for his emphasis on discipline, tactical preparedness, and work with young players.
Jiří Pultera – Canoe Slalom
Respected Czech coach Jiří Pultera has left an indelible mark on the history of canoe slalom. In 1989, he took on the role of head coach of the Czech national team, which he led until 2021. During his tenure, he guided the Czech team to many successes on the international stage, including medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships. His expert leadership and ability to motivate athletes were key to the development of Czech canoe slalom. After ending his coaching career, he was inducted into the Czech Canoe Slalom Hall of Fame.
Jaroslava Passerová – Swimming
Jaroslava Passerová is an outstanding endurance coach with lifelong experience, considered one of the best in the Czech Republic. She specialises in individual training plans for swimmers of all age groups and performance levels. Since 1978, she has served as head coach at USK Praha, where she has trained a number of successful swimmers, including national team representatives. Among those who trained under her guidance is three-time Olympian and European champion Jan Micka. Passerová also coaches swimmers at the Přípotoční sports grammar school, and between 2005 and 2009, she led the Czech junior national team.
Karel Duspiva – Weightlifting
Karel Duspiva is an important figure in Czech weightlifting and sports methodology. Since 1965, he has been a member of the Bohemians Praha weightlifting club. Between 1974 and 1988, he worked in the elite sports department of the ÚV ČSTV, where he contributed to the creation and management of the sports system and methodology. As national team coach, he led the Czechoslovak men’s weightlifting team from 1990 to 1992, including the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Between 1993 and 2012, he worked at the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. For more than twenty years, he has also been involved in coach education within the Czech Weightlifting Federation.
Vlastimil Jansa – Chess
Czech chess grandmaster, coach, and multiple Czech champion, Vlastimil Jansa represented both Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at Chess Olympiads and major tournaments throughout his career. In addition to active play, Jansa is dedicated to coaching young talents and is a recognised chess pedagogue. Among his students was Czech number one David Navara; he also coached the Luxembourg national team. He has written several chess books, including Play with the Grandmasters and Dynamics of Opening Strategy.
Viktor Znojil – Athletics
At the Athletics Club Olomouc, Viktor Znojil is a coach of shot put and discus throw. He has been coaching for more than 60 years and still leads his training group. His approach to athletes is based on voluntariness and friendly relationships, with an emphasis on technique and the individual development of athletes. Under his guidance, successful athletes have grown, including Ladislav Prášil. He says of himself: “I am not a professional coach; I am more of a retiree who goes to the stadium primarily to have fun. The system I use with the children has certain principles – for example, I don’t scold or punish them.” He once worked at Dukla, where Emil Zátopek was head coach at the time.
CCA strives for the social recognition of coaches
The main mission and purpose of the Czech Coaching Academy (CCA) has been, since 2012, professional activity providing coaches with education. Equally important is the effort to elevate the prestige of the coaching profession, its social recognition and appreciation, and professional publishing activities. The Coach of the Year is voted on by members of the Union of Professional Coaches, which is part of the Czech Coaching Academy.
Currently, 140 experts from nearly 40 different sports federations sit on the panel. The poll is unique in that only coaches vote. The first winner of the poll and Coach of the Year 2013 was Petr Novák, coach of speed skater Martina Sáblíková. A year earlier, the coaches’ Hall of Fame was opened in a pilot edition, inducting ten coaching legends. Since 2017, an award for team sports has also been given.
Coach of the Year – Winners:
2013 – Petr Novák (speed skating)
2014 – Ondřej Rybář (biathlon)
2015 – Ondřej Rybář (biathlon)
2016 – Petr Lacina (judo)
2017 – Ondřej Rybář (individual sports, biathlon), Jiří Zach (team sports, volleyball)
2018 – Tomáš Bank (individual sports, alpine skiing), Ronen Ginzburg (team sports, basketball)
2019 – Petr Lacina (individual sports, judo), Ronen Ginzburg (team sports, basketball)
2020 – Unbreakable Coaches (award for coaches who managed to motivate their athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic)
2021 – Petr Lacina (individual sports, judo), Ronen Ginzburg (team sports, basketball)
2022 – Jiří Prskavec Sr. (individual sports, canoe slalom), Radim Rulík (team sports, ice hockey)
2023 – Jan Železný (individual sports, athletics), Andrea Tomatis (team sports, beach volleyball)
2024 – Pavel Davídek (individual sports, kayak), Radim Rulík (team sports, hockey)