Michal Smola
Encyclopedia
Michal Smola (born ) is a Czech
orienteering
competitor
, silver medalist from the world championships, and junior world champion. He became Junior World Champion
in the short distance in Nove Mesto na Morave
in 2000, and with the Czech
team in relay
in 2000 and in 2001. His best achievement by September 2009 is silver medal
in the middle distance at the 2008 World Orienteering Championship in Olomouc
.
Smola was born in Zlín
, a city of 80,000 people in the Czech Republic. At the age of 12, he joined the local orienteering club SKOB Zlín where he was trained by Jiri Stacke until 1999. In 1995, age 14, Michal gained his first orienteering title in the national championship (short distance, category under 16 years old). In 1998, he won his first international competition, European Youth Championships in Hungary in the under 18 years old category.
(France), Anders Nordberg
(Norway), and Smola were close behind the lead runner, Martin Johansson
(Sweden), when Johansson suffered a 12 cm deep penetrating trauma
from a stick in his right thigh
. While Nordberg ran for help, Gueorgiou and Smola stayed with Johansson; they pulled out the stick, harnessed the wound using a shirt and a GPS tracking
strap and then carried Johansson to a road. Nordberg brought a physician there.
at the Faculty of Applied Informatics, Department of Electrotechnics and Measurements. His hobbies include travel, cross-country skiing
, cycling
, climbing
, photography, music and watching movies.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
competitor
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
, silver medalist from the world championships, and junior world champion. He became Junior World Champion
Junior World Orienteering Championships
The Junior World Orienteering Championships are an orienteering competition held every year. They were first held in 1990. Entry is open to national teams aged 20 and below as of 31 December in the year of competition...
in the short distance in Nove Mesto na Morave
Nové Mesto na Morave
Nové Město na Moravě is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has 10,464 inhabitants.-Business in town:Despite its location surrounded by great outdoors, the town has a long tradition of manufacturing...
in 2000, and with the Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
team in relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
in 2000 and in 2001. His best achievement by September 2009 is silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the middle distance at the 2008 World Orienteering Championship in Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
.
Smola was born in Zlín
Zlín
Zlín , from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov , is a city in the Zlín Region, southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company...
, a city of 80,000 people in the Czech Republic. At the age of 12, he joined the local orienteering club SKOB Zlín where he was trained by Jiri Stacke until 1999. In 1995, age 14, Michal gained his first orienteering title in the national championship (short distance, category under 16 years old). In 1998, he won his first international competition, European Youth Championships in Hungary in the under 18 years old category.
Junior world championships
After 2000, Michal started training on his own. The same year he won two Junior world championships (short distance and relay). Together with the Czech team, he defended the relay gold next year and won individual bronze medals in short and long distance runs.World championships
His first successes in adult competitions were two gold and one silver medal in University world championships in 2004. However, in 2005 he failed to qualify for the World Orienteering Championship (WOC) and also got a serious ankle injury. Those failures pushed Michal to reconsider his training and to change the club to Swedish Sodertalje-Nykvarn Orientering. The changes worked well and Michal progressed to the 4th place at 2006 WOC long distance competition. In 2008 he won his first, and the only so far WOC medal - a silver in the middle distance run. In 8 years through August 2009 he has participated in 96 IOF world ranking races. After WOC 2009, Michal ranked 29th in the world in foot orienteering. His highest rank ever was 8th, in 2008.Martin Johansson 2009 WOC injury
At WOC 2009 in Miskolc, Hungary, during the last leg of the relay race Thierry GueorgiouThierry Gueorgiou
Thierry Gueorgiou is a French orienteer who has won more than 20 gold medals in international competitions, including the World Orienteering Championships middle distance event seven times: 2003–2005, 2007–2009 and 2011.-Clubs:Gueorgiou runs for two orienteering clubs, the French NO St-Etienne...
(France), Anders Nordberg
Anders Nordberg
Anders Nordberg is a Norwegian orienteering competitor. He received a bronze medal at the 2004 World Orienteering Championship, and again a bronze medal in 2007. He finished second in the overall World Cup 2007.-Biography:...
(Norway), and Smola were close behind the lead runner, Martin Johansson
Martin Johansson (orienteering b. 1984)
Martin Johansson is a Swedish orienteering and ski-orienteering competitor, medallist from the orienteering world championships, and a 2004 Junior World Champion in relay...
(Sweden), when Johansson suffered a 12 cm deep penetrating trauma
Penetrating trauma
Penetrating trauma is an injury that occurs when an object pierces the skin and enters a tissue of the body, creating an open wound. In blunt, or non-penetrating trauma, there may be an impact, but the skin is not necessarily broken. The penetrating object may remain in the tissues, come back out...
from a stick in his right thigh
Thigh
In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
. While Nordberg ran for help, Gueorgiou and Smola stayed with Johansson; they pulled out the stick, harnessed the wound using a shirt and a GPS tracking
GPS tracking
A GPS tracking unit is a device that uses the Global Positioning System to determine the precise location of a vehicle, person, or other asset to which it is attached and to record the position of the asset at regular intervals...
strap and then carried Johansson to a road. Nordberg brought a physician there.
Personal life
Michal is a doctoral student at Tomas Bata University in ZlínTomas Bata University in Zlín
Tomas Bata University in Zlín , , is a progressive university comprised of six faculties offering students the possibility of studying technology, economics, humanities, arts and health care. The University is named after the world-famous entrepreneur Tomas Bata who was also the originator of the...
at the Faculty of Applied Informatics, Department of Electrotechnics and Measurements. His hobbies include travel, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
, photography, music and watching movies.