Full name Honza Jan Vítazka Sport Swimming Weight 83 kg | National team Czech Republic Height 1.82 m Club HC Kometa Brno | |
Born 27 May 1976 (age 40) ( 1976-05-27 ) Olomouc, Czechoslovakia College team University of Cincinnati (U.S.) Coach Ondřej Butir
Monty Hopkins (U.S.) Strokes Butterfly stroke, Medley swimming | ||
Honza Jan Vítazka (born May 27, 1976) is a Czech former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly and in individual medley events. He is a 2000 Olympian and a six-time Czech record holder. While studying in the United States, he also holds three school records as a member of the University of Cincinnati swimming and diving team from 1996 to 1999. During his early sporting career, Vitazka trained for Kometa Brno Swim Club under head coach Ondřej Butir.
Vitazka, a native of Olomouc, Czech Republic, accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he played for the Cincinnati Bearcats swimming and diving team, under head coach Monty Hopkins. While swimming for the Bearcats, he received six All-American titles and held three school records in the 200-yard butterfly (1:45.95), 200-yard individual medley (1:46.40), and 400-yard individual medley (3:49.79). Shortly after his senior season, Vitazka graduated from the University with a bachelor's degree in finance and a four-year MBA. In 2010, he was inducted to the James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame by the University for his stellar performances in the pool.
Vitazka competed in three individual events at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He achieved FINA A-standards of 54.21 (100 m butterfly), 2:03.72 (200 m individual medley), and 4:24.30 (400 m individual medley) from the U.S. National Championships in Federal Way, Washington. On the second day of the Games, Vitazka placed twenty-third in the 400 m individual medley. Swimming in heat three, he set a lifetime best of 4:23.81 to race for the fourth seed, a 1.6-second deficit behind winner Alexey Kovrigin of Russia. Three days later, in the 200 m individual medley, Vitazka posted a time of 2:03.66 from the final of seven heats, but missed the semifinals by one third of a second (0.33) with a twenty-first-place effort. In his third event, 100 m butterfly, Vitazka could not achieve his best result on the morning prelims, finishing in twenty-seventh place with a time of 54.34.