Gurugram, Oct. 25: Is there a connection between hockey and golf? Unbelievable? Wrong. While one sport is played on an artificial turf the other one is organised in a more natural environment.
Yet this person balances his energies between the two sports with aplomb.
Jakub Mejzlik, the caddy of Olympian Sara Kouskova in the ongoing Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurugram, has quite surprisingly, officiated in more than 100 international matches in India including 44 games during the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup organised in Rourkela and Bhubaneshwar from January 13 to 29 last year.
Jakub Mejzlik India Connection
In an exclusive chat with MyKhel, Jakub said, “I visited India for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in January last year. It was great fun. I was umpiring the first match between India and Spain at the new stadium in Rourkela with more than 20,000 people. I realised that the people there just love hockey.
“So, it was an incredible three weeks doing quarterfinals, semifinals and the final in Bhubaneshwar. I got my golden whistle for 100 international games in India. It was like a big thing, I really enjoyed it,” the FIH empanelled umpire said.
Interestingly, Jakub never played hockey but took inspiration from his mother Alena MejzlÍková-Kyselicová, who was part of Czechoslovakia’s silver medal-winning team in the 1980 Summer Olympics. In fact, Alena scored the winning goal against India in the round robin match that year, from where the Indians never recovered. India women’s team finished fourth and the men’s team clinched the gold medal at the Moscow Games.
“Actually my mom has a silver Olympic medal from hockey with Czechoslovakia from 1980. And I started loving India even more from that time because my mom scored against India, beating them 2-1. So yes, that was my connection with hockey,” the 43-year-old elaborated.
Jakub grew up playing football and even went on to play for the under-16, under-18 national teams apart from the country’s top-tier football club Slavia Prague. But he quit football at the age of 25 as he felt he was playing just for money.
Admiration for PR Sreejesh
Interestingly, Jakub has immense respect for India’s legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Jakub, who began officiating in Hockey India League from 2015, also had wonderful anecdotes to share about Sreejesh, who retired from the sport after leading India to back-to-back bronze medals in the Summer Olympics in Paris few months back.
“I got my international referee badge in 2011. And then in 2015, I think it was my first year here with Hockey India League (HIL). I think I did three or four editions of HIL here. So it was, you can imagine why I love India… I think I can call Sreejesh a friend. I was so happy that Sara had a chance to meet him at the Games Village so we are like very close even before coming here. He’s such an amazing person. We both love him.
“On the other side, even on the pitch we can make so many jokes. In the Tokyo Olympics, we finished the game. I was umpiring and I can’t even remember what team India was playing against. India won.
“Sreejesh just ran to me, took the camera hugged me like this and started shouting like this is the best umpire in the world. So, I was just like ‘Okay, Sreejesh, thank you, this was my last game with India because if anyone will see this, I’m done’ because they will see that I’m umpiring for India.”
He met Sara just after she returned from Texas after completing her graduation in 2021. Jakub was managing the Prague City Golf Club where Sara was a member and that’s how they met. Jakub even chose caddying for Sara over officiating for hockey matches in the Paris Olympics.
“We tried to prepare her movement from amateur to pro, which was amazing. I think she had the smoothest transition from amateur to professional… I’m glad that every year she has gotten better and better,” he said.
If at all, one has to find one individual who can balance two extremely different sports like hockey and golf, it has to be Jakub. Jakub’s love affair with India is palpable as he made Sara visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and Akshardham Temple in the National Capital besides motivating her to try street food like chaat and golgappas at Chandni Chowk.
What is heart-warming is that the Czech is likely to return to India next year as a match official for the revived Hockey India League.
