“We only had one quota for the cyclists, which means that only one of us could go to the games. The decisive match was in Portugal, where we competed at the World Cup. I timed everything for this race so that I was best prepared .Otherwise I had an accident, I rolled over on the road races but I didn’t lag far behind.I showed good progress compared to the previous World Championships and that was the main reason I was selected,“said the 28-year-old from Dornberka about how he got to perform in Japan.

Until 2017, Doplihar’s sports career took place on two wheels with the help of a motorbike, as he was a successful motocross competitor. But after an accident at the race in October this year, he had to give up the sport. But he quickly found new challenges, as a paraplegic he extended himself into manual cycling and progressed very quickly. “I will try to upgrade the result. The form stops, the trainings are demanding. The time to rest will be just before the match, when we are already in Japan,“is about the last preparations before the games of the mentioned Doplihar.

“Such an opportunity, especially so much, must be seized with both hands. I worked hard in every training session, somehow the thought was also in Tokyo. I managed to achieve this, and I’m going to Tokyo mainly after good experience to see how the competition In Paris 2024, however, I would seriously attack medals, “ he added.

For him, the corona period of the last year and a half, which overshadowed the plans of most athletes, was actually quite welcome. If the games were according to the original plans last year, they will probably not qualify, the presentation will allow him more training and in the end he will be able to break through to the big competition: “The crown was anything but welcome for me. The competitions stopped so completely, I only drove one match last year. But I also saw progress in it, so I got motivated. I worked hard, I trained, the training plan was constantly changing. But on the other hand, I know that if it weren’t for the crown, I wouldn’t be in Tokyo. Thanks to the crown on this side for giving me one year more training, so I was able to pick a spot at the games. “

He also followed the successful performances of Slovenian cyclists at the Olympics in Tokyo, as he faces similar challenges at the Fuji racetrack and the surrounding area: “My coach and I watched the matches well and made a graph about the height. Now try to imitate this route as much as possible in training, I try to get as close as possible to the competitive rhythm and I hope that training will be very welcome before the games.“They also came to his aid at the AMZS safe driving center in Vransko, where the track was closed during his training and he was only available to him, so he can get as close as possible to the competitive rhythm.