Otakar NEMECKY

Otakar Německý experienced his greatest achievements between the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics. At the 1925 World Championships, in the absence of most Scandinavians, he won the titles in the 18 km cross-country and in Nordic combined and, two years later, captured the silver medal in Nordic combined. At St. Moritz in 1928 he competed in the Olympic Military Ski Patrol demonstration event. He was the younger brother of skier Josef Německý, who also took part in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. The brothers were born into a poor farmer’s family of 11 children, all of whom were skiers. After the World War I, the brothers initiated ski racing in Nové Město na Moravě. Otakar studied veterinary medicine in Brno and, in the Czechoslovakian Army, he worked as a veterinarian but also promoted skiing. After his War service, he returned to Nové Město and worked for the local agricultural cooperative as a zoo technician.