For javelin thrower Irena Gillarová, a low point in her career became a moment that altered the course of her life.
The Czech athlete had been training full time, deciding not to pursue higher education to focus on athletics. Yet at the European Athletics Championships, she had not even made it to the final round of competition.I didn't make it to the finals and I have nothing, so what do I do now?She thought to herself.
As she walked out of the meet, Gillarová ran into Virginia Tech's track and field coach, who asked her if she wanted to come to the United States to compete for his team.
The answer was an easy yes for Gillarová, fueled by a dream to become an NCAA student-athlete since she was a child.
"I always admired international student-athletes from my country who would decide to go study in the U.S. I always looked up to them," she said.
At Virginia Tech, the international student-athlete set a school record in her first meet. In her second meet, she broke a 17-year-old Atlantic Coast Conference record.
Yet parts of the student-athlete experience surprised Gillarová. Her coaches would ask her about her grades, checking if she needed tutors and making sure she knew about the academic resources at her disposal.
"In Czech, we don't have a system which supports education and sports. It's a huge difference that decides the rest of your life," she said. "You have all the resources you need. How the whole system cooperates together is amazing."
On the field, Gillarová broke school and national records throughout her four years in the U.S. Most notably, she won Virginia Tech's first NCAA championship in javelin, and she repeated that accomplishment in the final meet of her senior year. She is one of only two Virginia Tech female student-athletes to win at least two national titles. She also graduated with degrees in international relations and religion and culture.
After graduation, Gillarová returned to the Czech Republic to pursue an Olympic career, an experience made possible by her time as an NCAA student-athlete.
"It made me a professional athlete," she said. "The resources you have as an athlete at U.S. universities showed me this is how it's supposed to look like, and what you need to have to be professional."
Even with competing on the Olympic stage — she finished 19th at the 2020 Olympic Games — Gillarová's most valued accomplishments are her NCAA national championships.
"To me, they are the most important ones because it's the moment where your team relies on you, the school supports you," she said.
After her athletics career, Gillarová's gratitude for her U.S. opportunities drove her to create pathways for others to achieve similar experiences. She started an organization,usFutures, to help international athletes become NCAA student-athletes.
"I always tell them, if somebody would ask me if I would get a medal from the Olympics or if I would get education at U.S. universities, I would 100% say I would go with the education and these four years at the U.S. university," she said. "I'm just trying to pass that experience to others."
Gillarová has also started an endowment fund to raise money and spend time with children in foster care to encourage them to play sports.
"When other structures let you down, (athletics) gives you friends, it shows you different characters of people which you can be inspired by," she said.
Additionally, Gillarová began working with the Czech Paralympic Federation on the possibility for international para athletes to become NCAA student-athletes.
Last fall, the NCAA office of inclusion hosted Gillarová at the national office as part of the Global Sports Mentoring Program, whichpairs emerging international women leaders with female senior executives at top U.S. sports organizations for an immersive mentorship experience. At the national office, Gillarová focused her time on learning about the possibilities for para athletes to become NCAA student-athletes.
"If it's in my ability to help them to get to universities, I'm excited to learn anything I can because I've always admired the NCAA," she said.
After an exceptional collegiate and Olympic career, Gillarová helps others become NCAA student-athletes for one reason: She knows it will change the course of their lives — the same way running into Virginia Tech's coach at the European Athletics Championships changed hers.
"Sport opened the door for my whole career," she said. "The majority of things I have in life are thanks to sport.
"Before college athletics, I was a kid which had dreams but didn't have the tools to accomplish them. After college athletics, I became a person who's given tools to help others accomplish their dreams."