Gabriela Soukalová facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gabriela Soukalová

Soukalová in 2019
Personal information
Born	(1989-11-01) 1 November 1989 (age 35) Jablonec nad Nisou, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.70 m
Weight	61 kg
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon
Club	SG Jablonec nad Nisou
Skis	Fischer
World Cup debut	11 December 2009
Olympic Games
Teams	2 (2010, 2014)
Medals	2 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams	5 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Medals	6 (2 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	8 (2009/10–2016/17)
Individual victories	17
All victories	23
Individual podiums	39
All podiums	56
Overall titles	1 (2015–16)
Discipline titles	6: 1 individual (2013–14) 2 sprint (2015–16, 2016–17) 1 pursuit (2015–16) 2 mass start (2015–16, 2016–17)
Medal record Women's biathlon Representing  Czech Republic Olympic Games Silver 2014 Sochi 12.5 km mass start Silver 2014 Sochi Mixed relay Bronze 2014 Sochi 4 x 6 km relay World Championships Gold 2015 Kontiolahti Mixed relay Gold 2017 Hochfilzen 7.5 km sprint Silver 2015 Kontiolahti 15 km individual Silver 2017 Hochfilzen 15 km individual Bronze 2013 Nové Město Mixed relay Bronze 2017 Hochfilzen 10 km pursuit Junior World Championships Gold 2009 Canmore 3 × 6 km relay European Championships Silver 2011 Ridnaun 7.5 km sprint

Gabriela Soukalová, also known as Gabriela Koukalová, is a famous former Czech biathlete. She was born on November 1, 1989, in Jablonec nad Nisou, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. After her sports career, she became a television presenter.

Gabriela won three Olympic medals at the 2014 Sochi Games. She also became a two-time World Champion. She won a gold medal in the mixed relay in 2015 and another gold in the 7.5 km sprint in 2017. In the 2015/2016 World Cup season, she was the overall champion. She also won six special trophies called Crystal Globes for different biathlon events.

Gabriela's Biathlon Journey

Starting Her Career

Gabriela Soukalová started her biathlon journey in 2005. By 2007, she joined the national team. In 2008, she competed in the Junior World Championship. Her first international races were a bit tough. Her shooting and skiing speed were not as strong as other athletes. Her best result at the 2008 Junior Worlds was 22nd place.

Despite these early challenges, her coaches believed in her. They gave her more chances in international competitions. She improved a lot, especially in shooting. In 2009, she helped the Czech women's relay team win a gold medal at the Junior World Championships.

World Cup Debut and Early Success

Gabriela made her first appearance in the Biathlon World Cup in December 2009. Her coaches then decided to send her back to the IBU Cup, a lower-level competition. However, she quickly showed great results there. She even won a silver medal in the sprint at the 2011 European Championships. Because of her strong performances, she was soon back on the World Cup team. She also represented the Czech Republic at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Her first big success came in December 2011. She helped the Czech team get second place in a World Cup mixed relay race in Austria.

Winning Big in the World Cup

The 2012–13 season was fantastic for Gabriela. She won four races in the Biathlon World Cup. She continued her winning streak in the 2013–14 World Cup season, adding three more victories.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, she showed amazing skill. She finished fourth in both the 10 km pursuit and 15 km individual races. Then, she won two silver medals! One was in the 12.5 km mass start, and the other was in the mixed relay. She competed in the mixed relay with her teammates Veronika Vítková, Jaroslav Soukup, and Ondřej Moravec.

World Championship Titles

In 2015, at the World Championships in Kontiolahti, Gabriela achieved her first World Championship title. She was part of the winning Czech mixed relay team. In another race, the sprint, she finished 18th. But she quickly moved up to fifth place in the pursuit race. She also won a silver medal in the individual race, making it her second medal at those championships.

At the end of the 2014/15 World Cup season, she finished in sixth place overall.

Dominating the 2015/2016 Season

The 2015/2016 season was a highlight for Gabriela. She performed incredibly well. Even with two missed targets in one race, she still managed to get on the podium. She was very consistent, always finishing in the top 11 throughout the season. She led the World Cup standings from start to finish.

On January 16, 2016, she won the 12.5 km mass start race. This was her tenth victory in the Biathlon World Cup. She also helped her team win a silver medal in the 4x6 km relay. In February 2016, she won two gold medals in the USA: one in the 7.5 km sprint and another in the 10 km pursuit.

She won the small Crystal Globe for sprint races with 413 points. She also won another small Crystal Globe for mass start races with 241 points. On March 20, 2016, Gabriela won the overall Crystal Globe for the 2015/2016 World Cup season. This meant she was the best biathlete of the entire season!

Final Seasons and Retirement

The 2016/2017 season started well for Gabriela. She took third place in a 7.5 km sprint and won the pursuit race. She also won a mass start race in December 2016.

On December 21, 2017, Gabriela became the first biathlete to be named Czech Sportsperson of the Year. Due to a leg injury, she could not compete in the 2017/2018 season. She later announced that she might not return to the World Cup. On May 28, 2019, she officially announced her retirement from biathlon.

In February 2024, Gabriela Soukalová was honored by being added to the IBU Hall of Fame. This is a special place for the greatest biathletes of all time.

Gabriela's Life Outside Sports

Gabriela comes from a family of athletes. Her mother, Gabriela Svobodová, was a cross-country skier. Her mother won an Olympic silver medal in the 4 x 5 km relay at the 1984 Winter Olympics. Later, her mother even helped Gabriela as a personal trainer.

In 2014, Gabriela started dating Czech professional badminton player Petr Koukal. They got married on May 13, 2016. They later divorced in 2020.

In April 2018, Gabriela published her autobiography called Jiná, which means Different. In the book, she shared her experiences with health challenges.

In March 2021, Gabriela announced she was expecting a baby with her new partner, Miloš Kadeřábek. She also returned to using her birth name, Soukalová.

In March 2024, a documentary about Gabriela called Gabriela Soukalová: Pravda se pořád vyplatí (Gabriela Soukalová: The truth always pays off) premiered in Prague. Gabriela also sang a duet for her documentary with Štefan Margita, titled Teď budu mluvit já (Now I will speak).

Biathlon Achievements

All of Gabriela's results come from the International Biathlon Union.

Olympic Games Medals

• 3 medals (2 silver, 1 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Relay	Mixed relay
2010 Vancouver	60th	–	–	–	16th	N/A
2014 Sochi	4th	29th	4th	Silver	Bronze	Silver
2018 Pyeongchang	injured: did not compete

World Championships Medals

• 6 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Relay	Mixed relay
2010 Khanty-Mansiysk	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	7th
2011 Khanty-Mansiysk	47th	25th	22nd	–	11th	11th
2013 Nové Město	12th	14th	20th	18th	10th	Bronze
2015 Kontiolahti	Silver	18th	5th	5th	8th	Gold
2016 Oslo	5th	4th	11th	4th	6th	6th
2017 Hochfilzen	Silver	Gold	Bronze	4th	4th	7th

World Cup Standings

Individual Race Wins

• 17 victories in individual races (7 Sprint, 4 Pursuit, 2 Individual, 4 Mass start)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Level
1	2012/13	14 December 2012	Pokljuka, Slovenia	7.5 km sprint	World Cup
2		14 March 2013	Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia	7.5 km sprint	World Cup
3		16 March 2013	Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia	10 km pursuit	World Cup
4		17 March 2013	Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia	12.5 km mass start	World Cup
5	2013/14	28 November 2013	Östersund, Sweden	15 km individual	World Cup
6		10 January 2014	Ruhpolding, Germany	15 km individual	World Cup
7		12 January 2014	Ruhpolding, Germany	10 km pursuit	World Cup
8	2014/15	18 December 2014	Pokljuka, Slovenia	7.5 km sprint	World Cup
9	2015/16	2 December 2015	Östersund, Sweden	7.5 km sprint	World Cup
10		16 January 2016	Ruhpolding, Germany	12.5 km mass start	World Cup
11		11 February 2016	Presque Isle, USA	7.5 km sprint	World Cup
12		12 February 2016	Presque Isle, USA	10 km pursuit	World Cup
13	2016/17	4 December 2016	Östersund, Sweden	10 km pursuit	World Cup
14		18 December 2016	Nové Město, Czech Republic	12.5 km mass start	World Cup
15		6 January 2017	Oberhof, Germany	7.5 km sprint	World Cup
16		8 January 2017	Oberhof, Germany	12.5 km mass start	World Cup
17		10 February 2017	Hochfilzen, Austria	7.5 km sprint	World Championships

Relay Race Wins

• 6 victories in team relay races (4 Relay, 2 Mixed relay)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Level	Teammates
1	2013/14	24 November 2013	Östersund, Sweden	Mixed 2x6+2x7.5 km relay	World Cup	Vítková / Vítek / Moravec
2	2014/15	7 January 2015	Oberhof, Germany	4x6 km relay	World Cup	Puskarčíková / Landová / Vítková
3		14 January 2015	Ruhpolding, Germany	4x6 km relay	World Cup	Puskarčíková / Landová / Vítková
4		15 February 2015	Holmenkollen, Norway	4x6 km Relay	World Cup	Puskarčíková / Landová / Vítková
5		5 March 2015	Kontiolahti, Finland	Mixed 2x6+2x7.5 km relay	World Championships	Vítková / Šlesingr / Moravec
6	2015/16	14 February 2016	Presque Isle, USA	4x6 km relay	World Cup	Puskarčíková / Charvátová / Vítková

Overall Career Record

See also

In Spanish: Gabriela Soukalová para niños