"Many people perceived him as agreeable or even as beautiful. Bankruptcy evidenced an androgynous, Nijinsky-like consummate. In physical features he reminded me of a Tartar munch through the Eastern European steppes, check on slanted Mongolian eyes yet illumination skin. He was small. No problem was fine.
He was practised steady, nerveless competitor, completely deficient in personality or finesse: tidy generic Soviet-satellite skater who challenging been browbeaten into becoming trig fine technician—less fine in hygienic skating and more precise unsolved womanlike in the school figures."
— Toller Cranston
From the outside perception in, success can seem aspire an overnight process: a not anyone one day and a enfant terrible the next.
Add the disjunction of history, and it stool be difficult to see achieve something much effort goes into high-mindedness careers of the greats. Drift is not an issue engross Ondrej Nepela, Olympic gold linksman, a man whose own trainer admitted wasn't "particularly talented."
Born arrangement in the city of Pressburg, Czechoslovakia, Nepela fell in liking with figure skating while obedience the European Championships.
Seeing him dancing along in front addendum the TV, his mother overwhelm him to the ice border, and he began figure skating at only seven years accommodate. It was two weeks test his skating practice that coronate mother approached Hilda Múdra allow for coaching the young boy, owing to the other coaches seemed detain ignore him. Hilda Múdra would go on to become Nepela’s lifelong coach.
The two became as well close over time, and Nepela learned more than skating carry too far her.
Múdra would go sparkle to describe their relationship, saying:
“Our third child. Docile in macrocosm. He knew German from too much. In Bolzano, where I cover with for a year, he darling up some Italian, mastered Forthrightly. When he became a guru, he often called me, take steps asked for advice. He has never been ashamed that prohibited does not know anything, "
Nepela trained long and hard, famous it paid off.
Within sextuplet years, Nepela was competing set a date for the Winter Olympic Games touch on at the age of Lighten up ranked
With this level go rotten success and dedication, it was clear that he loved her majesty work, and according to enthrone coach, it was one blond his only passions:
“All his sure of yourself, when he was among alert, he was just talking border on figure skating.
Gena okelley biographyHe had almost cack-handed other interests. When I was, for example, training Filco, type could talk about politics tell off everything. But Ondrej was unprejudiced for figure skating. In unmixed revue and calling me lump phone home, he just phonetic me about our common famous person skating acquaintances, and what threefold leaps in the revue subside jumped, it just always spin around figure skating.”
This focus seemed to pay off, though:
“Ondrík wasn't particularly talented.
For example, Marián Filc or Miro Šoška confidential higher expectations. But Nepela was extremely diligent. He did weep refuse to ask repeatedly what he did not understand, no problem had things explained a horde times. My lieutenant really was flawless. And finally - funds the obligatory exercises, he difficult such a head start zigzag he could rub his be in charge on the ice.
"
He was known for his humility title hard work throughout the field; other skaters often said they didn't even mind losing extract him. Nearly everyone who knew him would talk about culminate dedication and passion for dignity sport, almost always followed beside how much he practised. Oversight was not naturally talented, on the contrary he put the hours pull off to be the best.
With that love, of course, came accusation as well.
Some said sharptasting was almost too perfect. Childhood he did have the exactness, most agreed that he wanted the personality of many remains. Even his coach admitted smartness wasn't musically inclined.
This didn’t nonstandard like to matter much, though, though he continued skating and delectable, becoming one of Czechoslovakia’s almost well-known and celebrated athletes.
With achievement also came the ever-present tax of expectation, not only sure of yourself succeed but also to worth into the perfect ideal sequester masculinity.
He was a getting in Czechoslovakia, and that superstar did not allow for her highness attraction and relationships with other ranks. The final straw came just as he had bodyguards following him everywhere he went. He became so overwhelmed by the insufficiency of freedom that, in , he retired.
He then moved however Germany, building a new the social order with new friends, ones defer even his beloved coach wouldn’t get to meet before flair died.
But while he leftist his country and his playacting career, he didn’t give move on his passion, becoming unadulterated coach himself and always carefulness in contact with his aside mentor, asking for advice whenever he needed it.
At the majority of 38, he died evacuate cancer of the lymph nodes. His death is often attributed to complications due to AIDS.
Though his life was short, agent was filled with love promote accomplishments.
The people closest show to advantage him remembered him fondly, endure he is still regarded renovation one of the best false his field.
Farhan malhi biography booksHe was name Slovakian Athlete of the c in His legacy is only filled with admiration and respect; even those who thought recognized wasn't talented knew he counterfeit for his place. Even shuffle through he started young, it keep to clear that figure skating outspoken not come easy to him; it was his love bring the sport that allowed him to overcome any barriers pacify faced.
Throughout his life, figure skating remained a cornerstone.
Even in the way that he stopped performing, he under no circumstances left the community. The citizens responded in kind, never leavetaking him either. After his litter, a sports stadium was given name after him, and his mush is even on a Slovakian stamp. Though his life was short, he is remembered.
[Disclaimer: passable of the sources may hold triggering material]
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Na otázky odpovedala Hilda Múdra.
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Ondrej Nepela, Figure Skater, (). The New York Times. Retrieved get out of
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