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Hilgertova completing amazing four years
After spending the earlier part of this year training in Australia, kayaker Stepanka Hilgertova of the Czech Republic has returned home to continue her quest to add a second gold medal to the one she earned at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. "The placing at my first Olympics in Barcelona was under my expectations," Stepanka says. "On the other hand, it pushed me further and motivated me to try again. Then Atlanta came and in the last four years, I have stayed on top of the world. This year I want to succeed to complete the collection of medals. I won the European Championships, World Championships, World Cup and the Olympics within four years. You could ask why I am competing again, but I take any upcoming competition as a new challenge and motivation." Thirty-two-year-old Stepanka has been kayaking since she was 12. Training at Prague's Troya Channel on the Vltava River, Stepanka feels the conditions are perfect and helps her get closer to reaching her goal this year. "I will be satisfied with a medal," she says. "If not, I will be a little disappointed, but I will not take it as a disaster or tragedy." The women's competition begins September 17.
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