Emil Zatopek

@Long Distance Runner, Facts and Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Emil Zatopek was an accomplished, world record breaking long distance runner Czech Sportspersons Marathon Runners Athletes Virgo Celebrities One of the greatest long-distance runners of the 20th century, Emil Zatopek shot to great fame with his three gold medal victories at the Summer Olympics in Helsinki in 1952. Proclaimed as the ‘Greatest Runner of All Time’ by the Runner's World Magazine, Zatopek is known for his hard working nature and tough and challenging training methods. He is known to have pushed himself through grueling and strenuous training routines in order to get the best out of himself. This legendary runner was nicknamed ‘Czech Locomotive’ and ‘Bouncing Czech’ for his extraordinary abilities to perform consistently on the track. He set a total of eighteen world records in various long distance running competitions, including 500 meter and 30000 meter races. He has won a total of four Olympic gold medals and a silver medal. He was the first athlete to run the 10 km race in a time span of under 29 minutes and ran 20 km race within an hour. He is also known for his unique and distinctive running style, facial expressions on the track and his posture. To learn more interesting facts about his childhood, personal life and professional achievements, scroll down and continue to read this biography.

Personal Details

Birthday: September 19, 1922 Died on: November 22, 2000 Nationality: Czech Famous: Long Distance Runner, Sportspersons, Marathon Runners, Athletes Nick names: Czech Locomotive Spouses: Dana Zátopková Birth Place: Koprivnice Information Detail Birthday September 19, 1922 Died on November 22, 2000 Nationality Czech Famous Long Distance Runner, Sportspersons, Marathon Runners, Athletes Nick names Czech Locomotive Spouses Dana Zátopková Birth Place Koprivnice Gender Male Sun Sign Virgo Born in Koprivnice Famous as Long Distance Runner Died at Age 78

Koprivnice

Emil Zatopek born at Unsplash Birth Place

After he returned from the London Olympics in 1948, he married Dana Zatopkova, who was a javelin thrower. Unsplash Personal Life

He died at the age of 78, in Prague, after he had been ill for a long time with pneumonia. His funeral was held at the Prague National Theatre. Unsplash Personal Life

Emil Zatopek was born in Koprivnice, Czechoslovakia in a modest family. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He started working at Bata, a shoe factory, in 1937. The factory sports coach persuaded him to take part in a race, in which he came second. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1944, he participated in the 2000, 3000 and 5000 meter races and he broke the Czechoslovak records in each of them. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He later joined the Czechoslovak Army at the end of the World War II and in 1947 he graduated from the Military Academy in Hranice. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1946, he was chosen to run for the Czechoslovak national team in the European Championships. He completed the 5000m race in the fifth position and thus broke his own Czechoslovak record. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1948, he first participated in the 10 km track race that was held in Budapest. Here, he was victorious and ended up setting a national record. Unsplash Career

Later in 1948, he made his debut in an international competition, the 1948 Summer Olympics, which was held in London. He was the winner of the 10000 metre race and stood in the second position in the 50000 metre race. Unsplash Career

In 1949, he broke the ‘Men's 10,000 metres world record’, twice at Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, on June 11 and October 22. He performed well during the next four seasons and improved his record. Unsplash Career

In 1950, he was the winner of the 5000 metre race and the 10000 metre race at the European Championships. In August, he set ‘Men's 10,000 metres world record’ that was held in Turku, Finland. Unsplash Career

In 1951, he participated in the ‘one hour run’, an international track event recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. He broke the record at the track races held in Prague and Star� Boleslav. Unsplash Career

In 1998, he was honoured with the title of ‘White Lion’, one of Czech’s highest awards. The title was conferred to him by the then Czech President Vaclav Havel. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 2000, he was posthumously awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal It’s a special decoration conferred by the International Olympic Committee. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 2012, he was named one among twelve athletes who would be inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Information	Detail
Birthday	September 19, 1922
Died on	November 22, 2000
Nationality	Czech
Famous	Long Distance Runner, Sportspersons, Marathon Runners, Athletes
Nick names	Czech Locomotive
Spouses	Dana Zátopková
Birth Place	Koprivnice
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Virgo
Born in	Koprivnice
Famous as	Long Distance Runner
Died at Age	78

Emil Zatopek

Czech

Sep 19, 1922

Biography

Personal Details

Koprivnice