Built for Speed
Barbora Malikova balances elite sprinting and marathon studio sessions in a schedule that doesn’t slow down.
By Brandon Martin
By the time Barbora Malikova ’29 arrived at Rice to begin her Master of Architecture, she had already competed on the world’s biggest athletic stage: representing the Czech Republic in the 400-meter race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Enrolling in one of the country’s most rigorous, studio-heavy architecture programs, she was ready to put aside her athletic career to focus on her studies. But in exploring the architecture program at Rice, she realized she wouldn’t have to choose.
“At Rice I found the right coach and team to keep pushing my limits without compromising my education,” Malikova says.
Intrigued by the prospect of an athletic program that would also allow her to prioritize her academic goals, she joined the Owls’ NCAA Division I track team. The architecture program covers her tuition; athletics picks up her living expenses.
During the season, Malikova trains seven to eight times a week — sprint work, lifting, recovery — then heads to studio, where projects stretch late into the night.
“Track and field has taught me discipline,” she says. “Architecture requires the same mindset — consistency, resilience and staying on top of my schedule.”
If that sounds like a lot, it is. But Malikova is quick to point out that the culture at Rice makes it possible.
“At a bigger school, you can feel like one of many,” she says. “Here, coaches and professors genuinely care how you’re doing — not just your performance, but how you feel.”
And Malikova is not just making it work — she’s excelling. Competing at the Tyson Invitational in February, Malikova ran the indoor 400 meters in 51.84 seconds, breaking a 23-year-old Rice record and setting a new American Athletic Conference mark in the process.
With two years of NCAA eligibility left, Malikova isn’t choosing between identities anytime soon. She’s building both at once, one race and one studio project at a time.
“You can push yourself to the limits athletically,” she says, “and still shape environments with intention and meaning.”
From the Spring 2026 issue of Rice Magazine