THE WAY IS THE GOAL. Even the veteran athletic world has its Karel ..... not only the musical one.

On November 12, 2021, at the age of 92, the legend of the world athletic veteran movement left us forever. We therefore bring both a VIDEO MEMORY (courtesy of Mia Stewart) and a TEXT MEMORY of LEGEND by Karel Matzner.

VIDEO: "Karel Matzner" - WE ARE VERY SAD, BUT WE LOVE THAT IT WAS HERE:

ING. KAREL MATZNER was born on March 16, 1929 in České Budějovice and died on November 12, 2021 in Prague. After graduating from the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, he worked for the companies Vodní stavby and Metrostav. As chief construction engineer, he completed four dams: Lipno, Nechranice, Vrchlice and Želivka I waterworks. and editor-in-chief of the professional bilingual magazine TUNEL.

He is the co-author and expert editor of five books on the Prague metro, an expert advisor on two feature and five short films about its construction, and the author of a number of professional articles and corporate publications.

He devoted himself to athletics as a teenager under the leadership of Olympian Karel Nedobity, then he returned to it only after forty. He became the founder of the ČAS Veterans Association, its long-term, now honorary chairman. He was a multiple world and European champion in running disciplines from 400 m to half marathon in various veteran categories.

Excerpt from the book "Wanderings in the history of veteran athletics" - Ing. Karel Matzner, 2015:

"One of my acquaintances, with whom I go down the slopes of the Dolomites every year, has recently published a small book about my wanderings around the world called The road is the destination. 

The three words breathed mystical, Buddhist wisdom on me. It doesn't matter where we go. The goal is for each of us to follow our Way, our way of life, with our eyes wide open, with goodness and love in our hearts.

Let's translate it into sports language. Recall Coubertin's Olympic "It is not important to win, but to participate." Let's recall the basic theses and ideas of our world veteran association WMA: to enable athletic competition for all ages equal for life. And also the ideas of the international organization IWMGA, which organizes world veteran sports games and supports the idea of ​​"Sport for All" Olympic Charter, without any performance limits and restrictions, in a friendly environment of athletes behind the zenith. The road is the destination.

At the same time, I am thinking of the words of a classmate with whom I was sitting at a desk at Jirsík's grammar school - the later head of the České Budějovice hospital: DIf I can, I have to. It is not easy to follow that path, it is full of obstacles and difficulties that need to be overcome. In order to compete, I have to train. As long as I can, I have to. As long as I can follow that Path. Therefore, do not hang nails on the nail! 

The road is the destination. 

PS .: The last farewell to Karel Matzner will take place on Friday 19 November 2021 at 10 am in the Great Ceremonial Hall of the Strašnice Crematorium.