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Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek · Fotothek_df_roe-neg_0006305_003_Emil_Zátopek.jpg : Roger Rössing derivative work: MachoCarioca, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
Person

Emil Zátopek

1922 – 2000 · aged 78

Czech long-distance runner (1922-2000)

Born
19 Sept 1922 · Kopřivnice
Died
21 Nov 2000 · Prague
Part ofCzech Republic1316 – todayCzechoslovakia1850 – 1992

Life timeline

Their life from birth to death. On the timeline, world events of the time are shown faintly.

Showing 90 years
  1. 19 Sept 1922BornBorn in Kopřivnice
  2. 1949AwardHonorary citizen of Třebíč
  3. 1989AwardSilver Olympic Order
  4. 1992AwardHonorary citizen of Kopřivnice
  5. 1993AwardHonorary citizen of Brandýs nad Labem-Staré Boleslavi
  6. 1998AwardCzech Medal of Merit, 1st class
  7. 2000AwardPierre de Coubertin Medal
  8. 21 Nov 2000DiedDied in Prague

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Meanwhile in the world

Major world events during their lifetime (1922 – 2000).

  1. 1933 – 1945The Holocaust
  2. 19341934 FIFA World Cup
  3. 19361936 Summer Olympics
  4. 1937 – 1945Second Sino-Japanese War
  5. 19381938 FIFA World Cup
  6. 1938Munich Agreement
  7. 1939 – 1940Winter War
  8. 1939 – 1945World War II
  9. 1940 – 1945Auschwitz concentration camp
  10. 1941Attack on Pearl Harbor
  11. 1941 – 1945Eastern Front
  12. 1941Operation Barbarossa
  13. 1942 – 1943Battle of Stalingrad
  14. 1945Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  15. 1945 – 1946Nuremberg trials
  16. 19501950 FIFA World Cup
  17. 1950 – 1953Korean War
  18. 1953 – 1959Cuban Revolution
  19. 19541954 FIFA World Cup
  20. 1955 – 1975Vietnam War
  21. 1956Hungarian Revolution of 1956
  22. 1956Suez Crisis
  23. 19581958 FIFA World Cup
  24. 1959Antarctic Treaty System
  25. 19621962 FIFA World Cup
  26. 1962Cuban Missile Crisis
  27. 19661966 FIFA World Cup
  28. 1966 – 1976Cultural Revolution
  29. 1968Prague Spring
  30. 1969Apollo 11 Moon landing
  31. 19721972 Summer Olympics
  32. 19741974 FIFA World Cup
  33. 19781978 FIFA World Cup
  34. 1978 – 1979Iranian Revolution
  35. 1979 – 1989Soviet–Afghan War
  36. 1980 – 1988Iran–Iraq War
  37. 19841984 Summer Olympics
  38. 1985Schengen Agreement
  39. 19891989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
  40. 1989Fall of the Berlin Wall

Biography

Emil Zátopek (Czech: [ˈɛmɪl ˈzaːtopɛk] ; 19 September 1922 – 21 November 2000) was a Czech long-distance runner who won three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He came first in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs before he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life, which he also won. Zátopek was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive".

In 1954, Zátopek was the first runner to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres. Three years earlier in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He was considered one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He popularised interval training after World War II.

Zátopek is the only person to win the 5,000 metres (24 July 1952), 10,000 metres (20 July 1952) and marathon (27 July 1952) in the same Olympic Games. In February 2013, the editors at Runner's World selected him as the greatest runner ever.

Text from the Wikipedia article Emil Zátopek, CC BY-SA 4.0

About this information

Dates and life events come from this person’s Wikidata entry.

We only show events that the sources give a date for. Anything without a date is left out rather than guessed.