With the Lord, shooting is easier for me

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Published on Thursday, 13 September 2012 22:15

Zuzana Stefecekova won the silver medal in the women’s trap shooting event, during the Olympic Games in London

Zuzana Stefecekova was the most successful member of our Olympic team during the 30th Olympic Games held in London. She won the silver medal in the women’s trap shooting event, defending the title of second place which she also received from the Olympic Games four years ago in Bejing – which is a great success. Many of us were watching the final shooting on the television with great excitement, to see how our representative would compete. In this interview Zuzka is describing her immediate feelings and she openly speaks about her faith in Jesus Christ. 

Did you have some weak moments whilst you were preparing or during the championship itself?

On Wednesday evening I had a crisis. I had a high temperature and I was really frustrated, although I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I wasn’t sure if I would be well enough to compete in the championship.

But by the championship you already seemed better.

On Thursday morning I woke up having made the decision to fight. I knew that I did not have any other choice! For four years I was working so hard to be able to compete in the Olympic Games, so I could not give up that easily! But I think it was the prayers from home that helped me the most. I had one free day, so I walked for ten minutes across the Olympic Village to meet with my mother. At that moment all my emotions came out; I fell apart and wept. When I returned I still had a temperature, but in the evening we all met together again and I think this also helped me a lot psychologically.

You started the final shooting with six exact shoots. How did you cope with the three mistakes which followed?

I admit that I had crisis, because for a long time I have struggled with the style used during the final shooting. I was telling myself, something like: “Lord, please do not let me spoil it, I don’t want to have a bad result again.” Unfortunately there came a series of three similar targets, so I repeated the same mistake three times. Then I looked at our coach to ask him what was going wrong and he showed me.  The fourth target went in a different direction, so I consolidated myself.

What helped you to stay calm right in the middle of such tense situations?

During these moments I was praying all the time and asking the Lord one thing, only that He would stay with me and that He would give me inner peace so that I could continue doing what I know that I am technically good in. I was praying to the Lord before every shot, that He would give me a firm hand and His peace. Shooting is much easier when the Lord is with me.

What advice would you give to all the people who want to win whether it be in sports or in their life. What makes a winner?

There is a statement “what you give to sports, sports will give back to you” – so in my opinion a hard drill is surely needed. But what I think makes a winner is self-confidence, a clear head, being psychologically relaxed, and confidence that I do my job the best I know how, because I prepared hard and I have good technical skills.
Today from you I received a cake as a present with the verse from Philippians 4:13 and this was the same verse that I received  got from my friend Barborka during the championships: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” And this made the difference. All the girls were good, but I had my God with me.

Interviewed by Mirka Vajdova