Miroslava "Mirka" Topinková Knapková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪroslava ˈknapkovaː], born 19 September 1980) is a Czech rower who won an Olympic gold medal in the single scull.

Miroslava Knapková
Knapková in 2008
Personal information
Full nameMiroslava Topinková Knapková
NicknameMirka
Born (1980-09-19) 19 September 1980 (age 44)
Brno
Sport
SportRowing
ClubV.K. Slavia Praha
Medal record
Women's rowing
Representing the  Czech Republic
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Single sculls
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Bled Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2005 Gifu Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2006 Eton Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2015 Aiguebelette Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Poznań Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Chungju Single sculls
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Marathon Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2011 Plovdiv Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2013 Seville Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2014 Belgrade Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2015 Poznań Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2007 Poznań Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2009 Brest Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2010 Montemor-o-Velho Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Lucerne Single sculls

Biography

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Knapková (front) and Emma Twigg at the Head of the Charles Regatta in October 2013

Knapková was born in 1980 in Brno in Czechoslovakia (since 1993 in the Czech Republic). Her father is Miroslav Knapek.[1]

At the 2011 World Rowing Championships, she became world champion in single scull at Lake Bled, Slovenia.[2] She was the winner in the same discipline at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[1] Between 2008 and 2015, she won the European Rowing Championships five times in this boat class.[2]

In 2015, Knapková won her fifth Princess Royal Challenge Cup (the premier women's singles sculls event) at the Henley Royal Regatta, rowing for the V.K. Slavia Praha. Having previously won the event in 2010, 2011 2013 and 2014, the fifth success equalled the record number of wins, set by Maria Brandin in 1998.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mirka Topinková Knapková". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Miroslava Topinkova Knapkova". World Rowing Federation. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Diamond Challenge Sculls, List of past winners". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
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