Karel Zelenka Explained

Karel Zelenka
Country:Italy
Birth Date:31 March 1983
Birth Place:Louny, Czechoslovakia
Height:1.750NaN0
Coach:Karel Zelenka Sr., Mirco Botta, Edoardo De Bernardis
Choreographer:Barbara Melica, Edoardo De Bernardis, Frank Dehne, Barbara Fusar-Poli, Andrea Gilardini, Walter Rizzo
Skating Club:Agora Skating Team
Currenttraininglocations:Milan,Italy
Beganskating:1988
Retired:2010
Combined Total:191.73
Combined Date:2007 Europeans
Sp Score:64.53
Sp Date:2007 Europeans
Fs Score:127.20
Fs Date:2007 Europeans

Karel Zelenka (born March 31, 1983) is a Czech-Italian former competitive figure skater. He is a five-time (2003–2007) Italian national champion and competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He qualified to the free skate at eleven ISU Championships – three World, three World Junior, and five European Championships – and finished in the top ten twice.

Personal life

Zelenka was born in 1983 in Louny, Czechoslovakia. His father is a figure skating coach. The family moved to Italy when the younger Zelenka was six years old. He received Italian citizenship in January 2006.

Career

Zelenka debuted on the ISU Junior Series (ISU Junior Grand Prix) in 1997. He won the Italian junior title in the 1998–99 season and was sent to his first ISU Championship1999 Junior Worlds in Zagreb, Croatia, where he finished 20th after qualifying to the final segment.

Zelenka placed 19th at the 2000 Junior Worlds in Oberstdorf, Germany, and 8th at the 2001 Junior Worlds in Sofia, Bulgaria. In October 2001, he won the silver medal at his JGP assignment in Poland.

Zelenka won the first of his five consecutive senior national titles in the 2002–03 season. He reached the free skate at the 2003 European Championships in Malmö but was eliminated after the short program at the 2003 World Championships in Washington, D.C.

Zelenka competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin; he placed 25th in the short program and missed qualifying to the free skate by one spot. He achieved his career-best ISU Championship placement, 7th, at the 2007 European Championships in Warsaw.

He trained in Milan, Italy; Oberstdorf, Germany; and Switzerland.

Programs

SeasonShort programFree skating
2009–10
  • Blues for Klook
  • Burn the Floor
    • Cheek to Cheek
    • Let Yourself Go
    • Top Hat
    • White Tie and Tails
2008–09
  • Nut Rocker
  • Burn the Floor
    • Cheek to Cheek
    • Let Yourself Go
    • Top Hat
    • White Tie and Tails
2007–08
  • Blues for Klook
2006–07
  • Blues for Klook
2005–06
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Art of War
  • Alexander
2004–05
  • Elements
2003–04
  • Quixote
  • Lord of the Dance
2002–03
  • Quixote
  • Light Cavalry
2000–01

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International
Event01–0202–0303–0404–0505–0606–0707–0808–0909–10
align=left 25th
align=left 25th 20th 25th 17th 16th
align=left 19th 16th 19th 7th 15th 23rd
align=left 6th
align=left 10th 12th
align=left 10th
align=left 7th 16th
align=left 10th 4th 6th
align=left 5th
align=left bgcolor=cc9966 3rd
align=left 13th
align=left 4th
align=left 4th
International: Junior
align=left 20th 19th 8th
align=left 12th 5th
align=left 6th
align=left 15th 8th
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 14th
align=left 10th
National
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st J bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=silver 2nd WD bgcolor=cc9966 3rd
J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew

External links