Kristjan Čeh Credits His Wife’s Coaching for a Career-Best Season

Kristjan Čeh has added another major accolade to an already decorated career, earning Slovenia’s Athlete of the Year award for the seventh time. The discus star says his latest season taught him to stay patient when results do not immediately match expectations—and that a new coaching partnership at home has helped him find a model he believes can carry him forward. According to the interview, Čeh won 18 of his 25 competitions this year, including a second consecutive European title. He also claimed victories at the Mediterranean Games, two Diamond League meetings and the Diamond League final in Brussels. The report says that only Mykolas Alekna ranks above him on the world list, while Čeh and the Lithuanian shared their six head-to-head contests this season evenly, three wins apiece. The Slovenian said he began the season less strongly than he finished it. He credited years of work, lessons learned from less successful campaigns and a technical approach that now suits him. His physical condition, he added, remained strong throughout the year; even at his final competition he threw 72 metres. A national record set in Ramona, United States, did not fully satisfy him because he had hoped to reach a world record, but he said he was pleased to beat Alekna in other important meetings. A major change in his personal and professional life also featured in the conversation: Čeh completed construction of his house and made his wife, Anna Maria, his coach. He said he trusts her deeply and believes she wants the best for him. The interview describes the arrangement as a key part of his plans for the rest of his career. At the award ceremony in Celje, Čeh also donated memorabilia to the Sports Museum: a competition jersey worn at the European Championships and Mediterranean Games, along with the discus he had used throughout the year. He noted that the award matters to him even as Slovenian athletics has grown and the competition for recognition has become stronger.