'Four years of sacrifice': Bobsledder broken by missing the Olympics

Competing at the winter Olympics is the pinnacle for winter sports athletes. While a lucky few can realize that dream, many others don't make it – despite years of dedication and hard work.

One of them is Czech bobsledder Patricia Tajcnarova. Race after race, the 23-year-old was fighting for qualification points to make it to the Winter Games. But the results were not good enough.

"I'm a bit broken and hurting," says Tajcnarova, who feels she has let down the people who supported her every step of the way. "The goal was to qualify. Other competitors are there now to show."

For the past four years, Tajcnarova trained almost every day, sacrificing time she could have spent with family and friends.

"It's not easy, never," her coach Ladislav Noskovic says. "Every day, the same routine: driving, training, driving, training, eating, sleeping."

During past Winter Games, Czech athletes scored medals by dominating sports like cross-country skiing and speed skating, but it wasn't enough for the country to make it to the top 10 performing nations. 

With the country failing to qualify in disciplines like monobob, it remains to be seen whether Czechia will do better at this year's Olympics. Meanwhile, Tajcnarova is not giving up on her dream. 

"For me the goal is Lapland 2030," she says. "These will be the Games where I will be a little bit more experienced and where I will fight for some good positions."

This year she will be watching the Games from home, cheering for her fellow athletes who managed to qualify.