- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- The Engine
- Height5′ 11¾″ (1.82 m)
- Emil Zátopek was a Czechoslovak long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. He was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive".
Zátopek was the first runner to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres (in 1954). Three years earlier, in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He was the instigator of interval training and hypo-ventilation training. In February 2013, the editors at Runner's World Magazine selected him as the Greatest Runner of All Time. He is the only person to win the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres, and marathon in the same Olympics.
- IMDb mini biography by: Dibyayan Chakravorty
- SpouseDana Zátopková(September 19, 1948 - November 21, 2000) (his death)
- In the 1952 Olympics, won gold medals for the the following races: 5,000 meters; 10,000 meters and the marathon (his first). No other runner before or since has accomplished this feat.
- Spoke nine languages.
- In the 1948 Olympics, won the gold medal in the 10,000 meter race and the silver medal in the 5,000 meter race.
- Pictured on a 9kr postage stamp of the Czech Republic declaring him the Best Czech Sportsman of the 20th Century, issued 11 September 2002.
- Officer in the Czech army.
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