From January 26 to February 2, the Universiade, or World University Games, took place in Erzrum, Turkey. Albert Jelínek from Charles University competed in two races in the Palandöken mountain resort. He placed eighth in the parallel giant slalom and 18^th in boardercross.

How did you enjoy the Universiade?

It was my first time and I had been looking forward to it very much. I knew it would be an event comparable to the Winter Olympics and that it would be a great experience. I also had the chance to meet many nice, interesting and entertaining people. All members of the Czech team were great sportsmen and women and cool people. We were a tight bunch and supported each other and had fun. It’s great to be somewhere where you can meet people from all over the world, chat with them and compete with them.

How do you manage both studying and demanding training?

Now I’ll have to focus on studying again – economy is a difficult subject and it’s hard to manage both snowboard and school at the same time. The main events of this year are behind me – I raced at the World Championship in La Molina, Spain and then here in Turkey at the Universiade.

Translation: Jaroslav Švelch