From ice rink to Volleyball court: Patrik Indra’s journey to EuroVolley
Feature
Last year, Czechia, powered by Patrik Indra, became one of the revelations of the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines, finishing fourth in the world. Now, they are ready to begin their CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men campaign in Modena with high ambitions, and the 28-year-old opposite is certainly one of the players to watch. Although he once dreamed of becoming a successful ice hockey player, inspired by Czech legend Jaromír Jágr, Indra eventually found his way onto the Volleyball court, developing into one of the core members of the national team and now preparing to make his EuroVolley debut.
2025 was undoubtedly a breakthrough year for Patrik Indra. He first made a name for himself on the PlusLiga courts with Norwid Częstochowa, finishing his maiden season in the Polish extraleague as its best scorer and being named Best Foreign Player. He then continued to shine on the international stage as Czechia emerged as the surprise of the World Championship, reaching the top four for the first time since 1970. Indra finished as the second-best scorer of the tournament and announced himself to the world as one of the players to watch.
“The World Championship last year was obviously a really nice success, but now it is history for us. This is a new competition. We also arrive with quite a new team, so of course the expectations are high, but we have to go step by step. We have to qualify from the group, and after that we will see. We definitely won’t be satisfied just to get out of the group, because we want more, but that is the first step,” he said.
Czechia will begin their EuroVolley campaign in Pool A in Modena, where they will face Greece, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy and Slovenia. “All the opponents have quality. They all showed in the first part of the summer that they can play really good Volleyball. Of course, Italy and Slovenia are among the top teams in the world right now. The other three teams may not be as famous, but they have good players and it will definitely be tough to play against them.”
Indra will also enter the tournament with a new responsibility. Starting this season, the 28-year-old opposite was named Czechia’s new captain, taking over from the retired Adam Zajíček.
“It’s not something that changes so much. I try to help everybody, always on and off the court, and I try to support all the guys. I think I did that even before I got this role. Now it’s quite the same, just maybe with some extra duties. But obviously, it is a great honour.”
Three years ago, Czechia were eliminated in the Round of 16 at the previous EuroVolley. Since then, the team has undergone significant changes, while Indra himself has taken another major step forward. Now a key member of the squad and its new captain, he is ready to experience the EuroVolley for the first time.
Patrik Indra“Marek Šotola and I are, I think, high-quality opposites, so it doesn’t matter so much who plays. We both bring, I hope, quality to the team. I feel really good about how I have played over the last few seasons. I’m still developing and I still feel I can progress, so I’m really satisfied. It’s my first European Championship, so I cannot wait to start. I’m really looking forward to playing this competition.”
Yet Indra’s path to the Volleyball court was far from straightforward. Volleyball was always present in his family, however, initially had his sights set on a completely different sport.
“I would say Volleyball is a family thing, but my parents just played Volleyball as a hobby. My sister has been playing since she was really young, but I personally played ice hockey until I was about 15 or 16 years old. Only after that did I start playing Volleyball, so it was a little bit late, but it seems it wasn’t a big problem to start that late. I had some health problems and injuries in my knees. I was growing really fast and my knees didn’t adapt well at that time, so I needed to stop for about two months. After that, it was hard to come back. I had to stop because there are a lot of really good ice hockey players in Czechia, and when you stop for a while, they develop so fast that it is really hard to catch up with them.”
Patrik Indra“I couldn’t imagine that I would start playing Volleyball before, because ice hockey is a totally different sport. I saw myself maybe playing a different sport, but one day my father said, ‘Let’s try Volleyball.’ I said, ‘Hell no, I will not.’ But I don’t know how it happened, and I ended up on the court. Now I see that it was quite a good decision, I guess.”
The ice rink may have been replaced by the Volleyball court, but one thing has remained unchanged: Indra’s biggest sporting idol.
“Jaromír Jágr, our ice hockey player, was always my idol. I’m trying to be like him all the time, always pushing, always doing something extra. He is a legend and he is my biggest idol.”
From dreaming of following in Jágr’s footsteps on the ice to becoming one of Czechia’s leading Volleyball players, Indra has already travelled an unexpected path. Now, as he prepares for his first EuroVolley and takes on the responsibility of captain, another important chapter awaits. After helping Czechia make history at last year’s World Championship, the 28-year-old is ready to see how far this new journey can take him.