Dana Zátopková (; née Ingrová , 19 September 1922 – 13 March 2020) was a Czech

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

er who won a gold medal at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

Biography

At the 1952 Olympic Games, she won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the

(only an hour after her husband,

Emil Zátopek Emil Zátopek (; 19 September 1922 – 21 November 2000) was a Czech 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 ...

, won the 5,000 m), and the silver medal in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. She was the European champion in 1954 and 1958. On 1 June 1958, she became the oldest woman in the sport of athletics to break a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

, aged 35 years, 255 days, when she threw 55.73 metres. Zátopková and her husband were the witnesses at the wedding ceremony of Olympic gold medalists Olga Fikotová and Harold Connolly in Prague in 1957. Emil spoke to the Czechoslovak president

Antonín Zápotocký Antonín Zápotocký (; 19 December 1884 – 13 November 1957) was a Czech communist politician and statesman in Czechoslovakia. He served as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953, and then as President of Czechoslovakia from 1 ...

to request help in Olga getting a permit to marry Connolly. While it is not clear how much this helped, they did receive a permit a few days later.

Achievements

References

Biography at zivotopisyonline.cz

External links

* * * * 1922 births 2020 deaths Sportspeople from Karviná Athletes from the Moravian-Silesian Region Czechoslovak female javelin throwers Czech female javelin throwers Olympic athletes for Czechoslovakia Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia Olympic gold medalists for Czechoslovakia Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics European Athletics Championships medalists World record setters in athletics (track and field) Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Czechoslovak Athletics Championships winners {{Czechoslovakia-Olympic-medalist-stub