My story
I am Arnošt „Arny“, Petráček and I have had a congenital defect in my upper and lower limbs since birth. The lower limbs have luxation of the knee joints, the upper limbs are missing the arm bones.
My parents introduced me to the water very early and I started swimming competitively at the age of 11. At the age of 15, I swam to a silver medal and the title of World Vice-Champion at the championships in Durban, South Africa. Then in 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a Paralympic gold medal came. But the turning point of my career did not come until 2021. I won the silver medal of my career at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. I broke the Paralympic record in the heats and swam even faster in the finals.
All the medals and awards can be found below.
I now have met the limits for the 2024 Paralympics. I firmly believe that I will be able to represent the Czech Republic next year, this time in Paris.
I am ready to defend my title from 2016. Be there with me!