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Emil Zátopek
Winning the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and marathon at the same Olympics in 1952.
Three distance golds · Under 29 minutes
- Born
- 19 September 1922
- Birthplace
- Kopřivnice, Czechoslovakia
- Died
- 21 November 2000
More people
Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek was a Czechoslovak distance runner known for punishing interval training and extraordinary endurance. His Helsinki triple included victory in the first marathon he had ever raced.
Early life
Factory beginnings
Worked at the Baťa shoe factory in Zlín as a teenager.
Unexpected start
Began taking running seriously after finishing second in a race organised by the factory.
Career
- 1944
National records
Broke Czechoslovak distance-running records before joining the army after the war.
- 1948
Olympic breakthrough
Won 10,000-metre gold and 5,000-metre silver in London.
- 1952
Helsinki Games
Expanded from track racing to the marathon with exceptional success.
- 1956
Final Olympics
Finished sixth in the Melbourne marathon.
Achievements
Three distance golds
Won the Olympic 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and marathon.
Under 29 minutes
Became the first runner to break 29 minutes for 10,000 metres.
European titles
Won three European Championship gold medals.
Beyond sport
Two Olympic champions
His wife Dana won the Olympic javelin title on the day he won the 5,000 metres in Helsinki.
Political punishment
After supporting the Prague Spring reforms, he lost his army position and was forced into manual work.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗World Athletics Hall of Fame ↗Photo: Fotothek_df_roe-neg_0006305_003_Emil_Zátopek.jpg : Roger Rössing derivative work: MachoCarioca. CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
