SINGAPORE – Eliska Krupnova made history when she became the first Czech to be named the World’s Best Female Floorball Player for her achievements in 2020.
It was a huge moment for the forward, but the tag also came with expectations, which the 30-year-old has learnt to deal with.
Krupnova said: “I wanted to maintain that high level but then I maybe wanted it too much.
“I was too focused on scoring goals, thinking that I was measured by scoring goals or points which isn’t necessarily true.
“But I changed my thinking – it’s a privilege to have high expectations of me and keep doing what I’m doing, not to try to prove anything.”
Less focused on individual statistics now, Krupnova has turned this pressure into motivation and is trying to enjoy every moment on the court in her seventh Women’s World Floorball Championship.
She did just that on Dec 8 as she starred in world No. 4 Czech Republic’s 13-1 quarter-final victory over 10th-ranked Denmark at the OCBC Arena.
The 1.82m Czech captain, who plays for Swedish club Pixbo Wallenstam, opened the scoring for her side after Ivana Supakova sent a free hit into her path for her to smash home.
Krupnova grabbed two more goals and three assists as the Czechs eased into the semi-finals, where they will meet two-time world champions Finland at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Dec 9.
Krupnova has had three encounters with the Finns in the semi-finals of the world championships in 2011, 2015 and 2021, with all ending in losses.
The most recent one was a 5-4 defeat.
She is hoping her team can stage an upset and reach the final for the first time.
“We know our statistics in the semi-finals are poor, we’ve never won a semi-final,” said Krupnova. “We are underdogs, but I see it as an advantage for us, we have nothing to lose.
“Our goal is to play the game to win the game.
“It will be a completely different tempo and quality of the game from today, so we need to prepare for that mentally, that the start of the game tomorrow will be high intensity.
“We’ll do a lot of tactical preparation as well to have some keys for victory tomorrow and breaking the trend of us not being successful in the semi-finals.”
World No. 3 Switzerland, who beat sixth-ranked Slovakia 8-4 in the other quarter-final on Dec 8, will also be looking to challenge the status quo when they face 10-time world champions Sweden on Dec 9 for a spot in the final.
Forward Corin Ruttimann, who is featuring in her eighth world championship, said: “The tournament was a bit up, down from our side.
“In the first match, we didn’t have that much efficiency. But we improved it a lot; we’re in the same direction right now so we’re prepared for tomorrow.
“They (Sweden) are the favourites but it’s time to beat them and why not tomorrow?”
Switzerland’s only world championship triumph came in 2005, when the event was held in Singapore for the first time.
Swiss forward Isabelle Gerig, who bagged two goals and an assist in their victory over Slovakia, is hoping that history will repeat itself.
The 25-year-old said: “It’s one game, anything can happen. When we are able to perform 100 per cent individually and as a team, then everything is possible.
“Each game needs to be played first, so let’s see what happens tomorrow.
“It’s a good sign but each world championship has its own story, but of course we would like to make history again.”
