At only nineteen years old, he won a gold medal at the Olympics and, within a few days, became the most-watched teenager not only in the Czech Republic. Metoděj Jílek sees his sudden popularity as a pleasant part of his success, and don’t even think about asking him if he’s lost his motivation – not even after winning two Olympic medals.
We met at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports at Charles University right before his summer semester’s last exam, after which he would immediately head back to Germany to train. His schedule is packed, but this is to be expected from one of the most famous athletes. “People often stop me and want to take a picture; that’s part of it all. Sometimes you’re tired, but usually it’s a pleasant experience,” says the man, whose Instagram account has over 52,000 followers, viewing his popularity simply as a natural part of success.
It is not humanly possible to respond to everyone, which is one reason why a media agency manages his social media presence. The agency also handles his media and sponsorship obligations to partners. Metoděj himself tries not to become dependent on social media. “It’s complicated – our generation basically grew up with them, and social media is all around us today, which hinders productivity. I try to fight it a little, but it’s not that easy,” he admits.
In a whole year, he usually has just a few days off, and then he tries to avoid the skates. “I like to play basketball or golf, anything active outside the skating bubble. I’m also a fan of the NBA, but I don’t stay up for the late-night games – I’d rather watch cycling,” he says. In fact, Martina Sáblíková, his speed-skating role model, also dabbled in cycling at one point. “Cycling really appeals to me, too, but I don’t have time for it right now because of roller skating.”
As soon as his speed skating season on ice is up, he switches to inline skates and spends his time on long rides on tarmac. He spent the entire summer training in Germany, and at the end of July, he won a silver medal in the 1,000-meter race at the European Championship. “Speed skating on ice gets more money and is more professional, but there’s much more competition in inline skating,” he says, comparing the two disciplines.
And how hard is it to make the transition from inline skating to speed skating on ice? “For me, the hardest part was learning to skate in a straight line, because that is completely different from inline skating. The hardest part is shifting from the outer edge of the skate to the inner edge – that’s what causes the most trouble for most inline skaters. I’ve got the hang of it pretty well now, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.”
On ice, though, he’s already among the world’s elite, but he still sharpens his skates himself. “Larger teams have service staff, but we have to take care of it ourselves. We need to sharpen them before every race,” he explains regarding the care of the special blades. The entire skates then get replaced almost every season. “The carbon in the skates essentially softens after a year and no longer has exactly the same properties as brand new.”
During races, he focuses intensely on himself and doesn’t pay attention to what’s going on around him, but he tries to keep track of his opponents. “Everyone races differently and has different strengths and weaknesses, so I adjust my strategy accordingly – whether that means going head-to-head with them right from the start or biding my time,” he says. But don’t for a moment think that, after winning the World Cup and two Olympic medals, he’d have lost his motivation to race.
“It’s definitely possible to win even more and keep improving. I haven’t lost my motivation – on the contrary, I’ve gained even more. After all, I haven’t won the 5K at the Olympics yet; I need to improve in the 15K and stay among the best in the 10K, because there are so many guys there who are getting better and are dangerous competitors. Many factors keep pushing me forward,” says Metoděj, who surprised the world during his Olympic debut with his dissatisfied reaction after the 5-kilometer race, where he “only” got a silver medal.
But that’s exactly who he is. At first glance, a shy college student, but at heart a confident 20-year-old who wants to achieve the greatest things in sports. As a child, he tried Brazilian jiu-jitsu and alpine skiing; he’s always been more of a soloist, and that holds true for his studies as well – like most elite athletes, he has an individualised study plan at CU SPORT. “I’m not sure yet if I’ll continue beyond my bachelor’s. For now, I believe it will give me some knowledge that will benefit my career and my life, and then we’ll see,” he says openly.
A career as a top athlete means frequent traveling, but also staying in hotels far from family and friends. And successes at the top are interspersed with frequent failures, which aren’t as visible until you’re famous. “Professional sports have probably robbed me of a normal life. I spent my entire high school years traveling, and I’m not at college very often either… But I’m glad I chose this path, because it fulfils me and I’ve met a lot of great people along the way,” concludes Metoděj Jílek.
| Metoděj Jílek |
| Prague-born, 20-year-old first-year student of the Fitness Coach programme at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports at Charles University. A member of the Czech national team in inline skating and speed skating. At the last Winter Olympics in 2026 in Italy, he won a gold medal (10,000 m) and a silver medal (5,000 m); he also has a silver and a bronze medal from the World Championships. Winner of the 2025–26 World Cup in long-distance racing. He also has two silver medals from the European Inline Skating Championships (2025 and 2026). |
