CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

54 | | 55 One could say that Kateřina Emmons and shooting sports areoneand the same, themore so because of the strong family roots and ties. Were you influ- enced by your family to take up shooting sports? Why didn’t you choose a different sport? As a little girl, I started with swimming. For 10 years, swim- ming was the sport I wanted to see myself competing in at the Olympics in the future. Around the time I was twelve, I found out that I didn’t have what it took to be a great swimmer. And also, I wasn’t enjoying it that much any- more, as I had been swim- ming since I was three. So I quit. My dad asked me then if I wanted to try shooting be- fore deciding what to do next. I did, was bitten by the shoot- ing bug and the rest is history. Talking about families – many people think that you are re- lated to the Mexican Olympics winner, Jan Kůrka ... It may seem so but we are not related at all. Although he and my grandfather, Libor Kůrka, were in the Czech national team together. CZ 457 – a truly versatile top quality rimfire rifle An interview with a three times Olympic medallist and the face of CZ 457, Kateřina Emmons KateřinaEmmons, néeKůrková (b. 1983), haswonan impressivenumber of EuropeanandWorld Championships alike, as well as Olympic Games. Fans of shooting sports will never forget her fantastic accomplishment at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although she retired from professional shooting in 2015, she has not left the world of guns and shooting behind. On the contrary. In 2019, together with her husband Matthew, also an elite shooter, she is launching a campaign to promote a new line of rimfire rifles from Česká zbrojovka a.s., the CZ 457. You have four childrenwith your husband, Matthew. Will any of them become a shooting hope- ful and then a champion like their parents? I have no idea. If I did, I would be a fortune teller (laughing) . We try and bring our kids up to think for themselves and to learn to solve their own prob- lems, to see things from differ- ent points of view. And if we manage to achieve that, then they will be good at whatever they want. It is entirely up to them to choose what they want to do. Sometimes we wonder what that will be as well. You have achieved your great- est success with an air rifle. Why did you choose this gun? Well, it was quite simple. I was really good at it, progressed quickly and soon achieved some pretty exceptional re- sults. So there was no reason to switch to another one really (laughing) . At the time, I knew nothing about three-position shooting with rimfire rifles. My achievements weremore about luck, apart from the standing position, I was really good at that one. It was only after I fully understood this discipline that I began to enjoy it and get a grip on it. Were you tempted to switch to, say, a rimfire rifle after your superb results at the Olympics, and the Air Rifle World and Eu- ropean Championships? After all, your husband, Matthew Emmons, is an Olympic winner in this category. I did shoot rimf ire rifles f rom the start but as I have already mentioned, it wasn’t my disci- pline really. It wasn’t until 2007 that I understoodwhat it was all about. That was when I learned to use the slings, that is shoot- ing f rom the kneeling and prone positions. That’s when things really took off. I was sud- denly able to compete and even win the 3×20 three-posi- tion. So that makes competing and training a completely dif- ferent kettle of fish. The high- light of my rimfire rifle career was a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. After retiring from profession- al sport, many athletes carry on with their sporting activ- ities – apart from spending more time with their families – for example they coach. How was it for you? There has been talk that perhaps you should assist in coaching the Czech biathlon team in shooting... At first, I gave up shooting com- pletely andgot a job at anAmer- ican company dealing with car parts, here in Pilsen. They were launching a wellness project for their employees. It was a fantas- tic experience for me, I was in a completely new environment and I met lots of great people. But then we became the par- ents of two more girls, which had not really been on the cards. I went on maternity leave and my coming back there doesn’t look very promising. A big family needs a lot of flexibilityworkwise, unless you live in a large city where you don’t have to think about logistics somuch. The Czech Biathlon Union of- fered me a position as a shoot- ing assistant. There is some trav- elling involved but I can work from home a lot too, especially doing all the preparations. And also, it means working in a high- ly motivating environment with people who work really hard. That is very important tome, it is a tremendous motivation and great joy. So, I am able to use everything I have learned in my 15 years of professional shooting and apply it somehow to biath- lon, which is of course a much faster sport. In 2019, you and your husband Matthew became the faces of Česká zbrojovka for their CZ 457 rimfire rifles. How do you feel about this role? Your husband is American, will you promote these rimfire rifles in the United States too? We feel very positively about this, of course, we wouldn’t have done for it otherwise. We are not the kind of people who yearn for their name to be connected with asmany companies as pos- sible. Our credo has always been for such a relationship to make sense to both sides andwemust always trust the product. For Česká zbrojovka, the CZ 457 is an important step forward. It is a very flexible product that will appeal to many. So we are happy to promote the CZ 457 anywhere. It really is a versatile gun of first-rate quality. Taking into account your ex- tensive experience, what do you think about the CZ 457 series? Do you feel it’s suita- ble for shooting sports? Absolutely. That’s why it is so ap- pealing. It would make a great gun for higher levels of shoot- ing sports. For the highest lev- el – not quite. But one never knows... As soon as I held it inmy hands, I was bowled over by the bolt and the trigger. They are just incredible. This is possibly the best bolt I have ever had the opportunity to try. Which CZ guns have you used before? To be completely frank – none. I have never made a secret of the fact that I am basically not interested in guns at all. It is funny really, but that’s how it is. I take my guns as tools that enable me to do a sport. I can provide care and maintenace, I can adjust them and do some minor repairs. That’s about it, that’s the extent of my knowl- edge and interest. Saying that, the CZ 457 is a gun category that I have a close association with and also, it’s suitable for shooting sports. So for me, it is an exceptional sporting tool. What about your husband, what’s his attitude to guns? Matt is the complete opposite in this respect. He is interested in all sorts of guns. Not just for sport, he also takes an interest in hunting, it is the love of his life. I come a close second, as he cheekily likes to point out. Was Matt familiar with CZ guns before? If so, what does he think about them? He really likes Česká zbrojovka as a firearms producer, above all, for their high quality of manufacture.