Hana Říčná
Czech gymnast (born 1968)
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Hana Říčná (born 20 December 1968) is a Czech former artistic gymnast. Competing for Czechoslovakia, she won two medals at the World Championships – a silver on the balance beam in 1983 and a bronze on the uneven bars in 1985. She competed at the 1984 Friendship Games and won a silver medal in the all-around and on the balance beam. She also won a silver medal on beam at the 1985 European Championships. She represented Czechoslovakia at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
represented
Czechoslovakia| Hana Říčná | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 20 December 1968 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country represented | Czechoslovakia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gym | Zbrojovka Brno | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach(es) | Radek and Drahomíra Kříž | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eponymous skills | Ricna (uneven bars) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Gymnastics career
Říčná began competing at the senior level in 1983 and finished 13th in the all-around at the 1983 European Championships. She qualified for the uneven bars and floor exercise final, finishing eighth and sixth, respectively.[2] Then at the 1983 World Championships, she helped the Czechoslovak team finish sixth. She advanced to the all-around final and finished 14th. She also advanced to the uneven bars final and finished eighth. Then in the balance beam final, she won the silver medal behind Olga Mostepanova.[3]
Říčná finished seventh in the all-around at the 1984 American Cup and tied with Mary Lou Retton for the balance beam title.[4] Due to Czechoslovakia joining the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics, she competed at the 1984 Friendship Games.[5] There, she won the all-around silver medal behind Mostepanova despite scoring perfect 10s on the vault and uneven bars.[6] She helped her country win the bronze medal in the team event.[7] She also finished second to Mostepanova in the balance beam final. She tied for fourth place in the balance beam final and finished eighth in the uneven bars final.[8]
Říčná finished fourth in the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise finals at the 1985 European Championships. She did win the silver medal on the balance beam behind Oksana Omelianchik.[9] Then at the 1985 World Championships, she won a bronze medal on the uneven bars behind Gabriele Fähnrich and Dagmar Kersten.[10] She also finished eighth in the all-around and fifth on the balance beam.[11][12]
Říčná represented Czechoslovakia at the 1988 Summer Olympics and helped the team finish seventh.[13] She qualified for the individual all-around final and finished 29th.[14]
Post-gymnastics
Říčná moved to the United States in 1994 and began coaching gymnastics. She married Lorin Jessen, who is also a gymnastics coach. Her son, David Jessen, is an elite gymnast who represented the Czech Republic at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[15][16] Her daughter Sandra also competed in gymnastics for Stanford.[17] In 2025, she opened the Ricna Elite Gymnastics Academy in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.[18]
Eponymous skill
Říčná has an uneven bars release move named after her in the Code of Points.[19]
| Apparatus | Name | Description | Difficulty[a] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uneven bars | Ricna | Stalder to counter reversed straddled hecht over high bar | E (0.5) |
- Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points
