Michal Rubáček

Michal Rubáček

Personal information
Full name	Michal Rubáček
National team	Czech Republic
Born	19 December 1986 Znojmo, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly
Club	TJ Znojmo
Coach	Jirí Kynera (personal) Jaroslava Passerová (national)
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the Czech Republic Universiade 2009 Belgrade 100 m butterfly

Michal Rubáček (born December 19, 1986) is a Czech swimmer, who specialized in butterfly events.^[1] He is a two-time Olympian, and a multiple-time Czech national record holder for the butterfly events (50, 100, and 200 m).^[2]

Rubacek made his first Czech team, as a 17-year-old, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he competed only in butterfly and relay freestyle events. He also joined with his fellow swimmers Květoslav Svoboda, Josef Horký, and Martin Škacha in the men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. Swimming the lead-off leg, Rubacek recorded a split of 1:51.37, and the Czech team went on to finish heat two in seventh place and thirtieth overall, for a total time of 7:26.26.^[3] Few days later, Rubacek won the second heat of the men's 100 m butterfly by approximately one second ahead of Uzbekistan's Oleg Lyashko, with a time of 54.87 seconds. Finishing only in thirty-ninth place, Rubacek failed to qualify for the semifinals.^[4][5]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Rubacek qualified for the second time in the men's 100 m butterfly, by clearing a FINA B-cut of 53.71 from the European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands.^[6][7] He challenged seven other swimmers in the fourth heat, including three-time Olympians Ioan Gherghel of Romania and Juan Veloz of Mexico. Rubacek raced to fourth place by five hundredths of a second (0.05) ahead of Veloz, breaking a new Czech record of 53.53 seconds. Rubacek failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed forty-second out of 66 swimmers in the preliminaries.^[8]

At the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, Rubacek dipped under a 52-second barrier, and lowered his record to 51.99 seconds in the preliminary heats of the 100 m butterfly.^[9] Few weeks later, he won a bronze medal in the same stroke at the Summer Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia, posting his time at 52.33 seconds.^[10]

On March 27, 2012, Rubacek ordered a two-year suspension from the Czech Swimming Federation (Czech: Český svaz plaveckých sportů, CSPS), after he was tested positive for a banned stimulant methylhexanamine.^[11][12]

References

1. "Michal Rubáček". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
2. "Jana Klusackova Doubles During Final Night of Swimming at Czech National Championships". Swimming World Magazine. 15 July 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
3. "Men's 4×200m Freestyle Heat 2". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
4. "Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 2". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 19 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
5. Thomas, Stephen (19 August 2004). "Men’s 100 Butterfly, Day 6 Prelims: Crocker Blasts Back into Form as Fastest Qualifier; Serdinov and Phelps Right on his Tail". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
6. "2008 LEN European Aquatics Championships (Eindhoven, Netherlands) – Men's 100m Butterfly Heats" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
7. "Olympic Cut Sheet – Men's 100m Butterfly" (PDF). Swimming World Magazine. p. 34. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
8. "Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 4". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
9. "2009 FINA World Championships (Rome, Italy) – Men's 100m Butterfly" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
10. "World University Games, Swimming: Jason Dunford Sets African Record, Rie Kaneto Claims Asian Mark, Incredible 50 Breast Semis". Swimming World Magazine. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
11. "Czech Record Holder Michal Rubacek Banned Two Years for Positive Test". Swimming World Magazine. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
12. "Czech swimmer Rubacek gets 2-year ban for doping". The Columbian. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.

External links

• NBC Olympics Profile