Metoděj Jílek

Metoděj Jílek (; born 11 June 2006) is a Czech speed skater and inline speed skater. On ice, he is a gold medalist in 2026 Olympic 10,000 meter speed skating, a silver medalist in 2026 Olympic 5000 meter speed skating, bronze medalist at the 10,000 meter race of the 2025 World Championships and 2025 World Junior Champion at the Mass Start and 5000 meter races. Inline, he is 2024 World Junior Champion at five events.

Life Jílek was born on 11 June 2006 in Prague. He speaks English and Spanish. He is careful about his diet and has never tasted alcohol.

Career

Speed skating Jílek made his international debut at the World Junior Championships in 2023. The following year he won the silver medal at the 5,000 meter race.

In the 2024–25 season, Jílek established new World Junior Records over 5000 and 10000 meters. In the same season, he improved the Czech national records at the senior level over 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10000 meters. At the 2025 World Championships he won a bronze medal at the 10000 meter race, the first medal ever for a male Czech speed skater at the World Championships.

He was named "Junior Sportsperson of the year" at the Czech Republic's 2025 Sportsperson of the Year awards.

Jílek won the gold medal in the 10000m and the silver medal in the 5000m at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.

Jílek won the silver medal in the Allround at the 2026 Heerenveen.

He was named "Best Newcomer" at the International Skating Union's 2025–26 Speed Skating Awards.

Inline skating Jilek participated at the 2024 Inline Speed Skating World Championships, winning five gold medals at the junior level.