Giants of the Games - An interview with Vladislav Tulacek

Name: Vladislav Tulacek

Age: 28

From: Teplice, Czech Republic

Competing since: 2014

Favourite Event: Light and Heavy Stone

Greatest Achievement to Date: 4th place Halkirk Highland Games

Favourite Scottish Food: Scottish beef Rib-eye steak

When I think about the Czech republic, I think about many things, Milan Kundera, Kafka and great beer but, Highland Games are not the first thing that come to my mind. How did you come to be involved in Highland Games? What made you interested in the games?

I started with Track & field when I was 13 years old- shot put and discus throw. This is very similar dynamic training like for the Highland games. I found out about the Highland Games from YouTube and when I saw it the first time I wanted to try it! So I used the internet and Facebook to find some games close to me in Germany. So that was my beginnings.

It's great that there are plenty of opportunities for athletes from across the world to get involved in the Games. Clearly you need to be in good shape to compete in the games, how do you prepare for them? How many hours a week do you train and do you follow a strict diet?

Now I only train for Highland Games and I train two times per day, 6 days a week. In the morning I have throwing training- some kettle bell medicine balls and shots, as well as hammer throwing twice per week. In the afternoon I go to the gym where I do almost everything. At the start of the week I have two hard gym sessions which focus on legs (heavy squats), chest (bench-press) and shoulders (dumbbells). And at the end of the week I have dynamic gym sessions- snatches, cleans and jerks. I don't have any special diet, I eat everything!

Do you have a favourite event to compete in?

My favourite events are light and heavy stone of course, because I am a shot putter with personal best of 19.74m. And I like Hammers.

And what about events that you are weaker at?

My biggest weakness is weight for distance because for me this is a new event and I don't have the technique for now.

Apart from competing in the events what else do you enjoy about the Highland Games?

I really enjoy this sport, everybody is very friendly and in Scotland it's unbelievable- everybody loves this sport. So every time I am in Scotland there are great fans and big support.

During the summer there are so many Highland Games, do you have a favourite games to compete in?

I have only been in Scotland two times, at three competitions- so for now I don't have a favourite games. But next year I would like to go to Scotland for one month.

It is compulsory to wear a kilt while competing in the games, was this difficult for you to get used to?

I don't have any problem with wearing a kilt, actually I feel very comfortable.

That's good to hear, I suppose it gives you more freedom of movement. Moving on, do you have a Highland Games hero?

My hero is Dan McKim. His videos help me to much with my training.

Lastly, Vladislav, I m not very muscular, how much training would I need before I could compete in Highland Games?

Haha, for this sport you don't need to be muscular but you need power technique and the most important thing I think is dynamic training.

A massive thank you to Vladislav for taking the time to answer our questions. If you are at the games next year, and Vladislav is competing, make sure to reinforce his assertions about Scottish fans and give him a massive cheer. If you like the look of Vladislav's kilt, why not have a look at our full range products available in this excellent fabric, our tartan guru tells me it's Black Watch Modern. We can't guarantee this tartan will give you the sporting prowess of Vladislav, but we can guarantee that it will help you look your best whether you are tossing cabers or walking the dogs.