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Paul at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Zuzana and Tomáš Paul flew to Beijing today to represent the Czech Republic at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Their discipline is Mixed Doubles Curling. They will play their first match on the second of February, two days before the official opening of the Winter Olympics. They are certainly not going as scared newcomers or inexperienced outsiders. Their quality is evidenced by the seven WCT (World Curling Tour) top category tournaments they have won, as well as the bronze medal from the 2013 World Championships, the fourth place from the 2017 World Championships and the fifth place from the 2019 World Championships. The players themselves declare that they have made significant mental and game improvements in the time they have been on the circuit. From all available indications, it is no exaggeration to say that in the 10-member Olympic starting field, they are among the co-favorites.

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What emotions are accompanying the approaching big moment for Czech curling?

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Zuzka: "The first feelings after we qualified were maybe a little bit selfish in the sense that it's great that we won and that we're going to go there. More and more, as time goes on, I'm seeing the whole thing in a much more communal way, i.e. that we're going there for all the Czech curlers. The overriding feeling is definitely responsibility."

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Tomáš: "We realise that without the fact that someone brought curling to the Czech Republic and started playing it, that someone built a hall in which we were able to train well, and that someone before us had achieved national successes that added money to our sport, the chances of participating in the Winter Olympics would have been much lower. In other words, our participation in the Olympics is a result of the successes of previous generations."

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Together, they say their goals for participation are twofold. One goal is the sporting one, which is to achieve the best possible placing. The other is to successfully present curling to the public.