Czech skier Petra Novakova is one of the rising stars of Czech Cross-Country skiing. The skier from Karlovy Vary had a great start of the last season. The promising career has been interrupted by an injury during the FIS Tour de Ski stage in Val Mustair. FIS Cross-Country News talked to Petra about last winter, rehabilitation and plans for the next season.

Beginning of the last season was great for. You finished several times in top 30, in Lillehammer you even cracked top 10. Was it surprising for you to be so fast?

I can’t really tell why I was skiing so fast, but I think I needed to get used to competing at World Cups. Everything was new for me in the first season when I was regularly competing in the World Cup (2013/14). Last winter I knew much more and it helped me a lot. Naturally, without a long and systematic training it would be impossible to compete with the best.

You were particularly successful in sprints and short distance competitions. Is it the direction you’d like to go in the future?

It is true I had better results in sprints and in distance competitions that were not that long but it is not really something I want to be focused at. My goal is to be competitive in both techniques and all distances. I know that it takes time to develop distance skiing abilities.

Last season, which started so well for you got interrupted in Val Mustair by an injury. What happened in that stage of the Tour de Ski?

After a few meters of my quarterfinal I dislocated my shoulder and at the same time I tore off my joint capsule, broke off a piece of cartilage and partially tore biceps ligament. The injury was even worse as it had happened already before.

How is the rehabilitation going on? Are you able to come back to training?

I am still working on coming back. The rehabilitation is going on well. I underwent a surgery in January. After that I had my arm fixed for six weeks. In March I started to put load on the arm in the specialised centre in Prague. I am still limited in training but I am making progress to be fulIy back soon.

Your coach Lukas Krejci has taken over the Czech national men’s team. Will it affect your training in any way?

I will continue working with him. I am going to carry out the complete summer training with the men’s team.

What are your goals for the next winter?

It is a bit too early to think about goals for the next season. I think everything will depend on the summer training and on my physical shape. Right now I just want to stay healthy. I hope my arm will heal so that I won’t have any problems with it. And of course, I would like to carry on good results from the last season.

Source: fis-ski.com