Zdeněk Koubek (born Zdena "Zdeňka" Koubková, 8 December 1913 – 12 June 1986) was a track athlete from
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. He won two medals at the
1934 Women's World Games
The 1934 Women's World Games () were the fourth edition of the international games for women. The tournament was held between 9–11 August at the White City Stadium in London, United Kingdom.intersex
Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...
, with contradictory reports of his specific condition, he was raised as a girl. Koubek came out as a
man
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...
when he retired from athletics in 1935 and later had gender-affirming surgery. Koubek had one of the earliest recorded gender transitions in athletics at the international level.
Biography
Koubek was born in
Paskov
Paskov is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,900 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Paskov consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 censu ...
, in a family of eight siblings, assigned female at birth and raised as a woman. Soon after his birth, the family moved to
Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
, where he finished school and started training in athletics. Koubek continued his education and training in Prague.
In 1934, he won five national women's titles, in the 100 m, 200 m and 800 m running, high jump and long jump. On 14 June 1934, he set his first world record, in the 800 m at 2:16.4. His next world record came in the medley relay (2×100 m, 200 m and 800 m), at 3:14.4. Later in August, Koubek won the 800 m event at the
1934 Women's World Games
The 1934 Women's World Games () were the fourth edition of the international games for women. The tournament was held between 9–11 August at the White City Stadium in London, United Kingdom. and underwent a series of medical examinations. The physicians diagnosed him as an intersex person with prevailing female sexual characteristics. The next year, he underwent genital surgery and officially changed his name to Zdeněk Koubek. He abandoned athletics and a potential coaching career, only returning to athletics after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, when he joined his brother Jaroslav's team at a local rugby club. His records in women's athletics were canceled, and he returned all of his medals and awards. At the time of his retirement, the head of the Women’s World Games, Alice Milliat, replied to a question about whether to revoke Koubek’s gold medal: “If it is proved that oubekhas become a man, it is logical to consider that previously she was a woman.”
American Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...
president
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage (; September 28, 1887 – May 8, 1975) was the fifth president of the International Olympic Committee, serving from 1952 to 1972, the only American and first non-European to attain that position. Brundage is remembered as a z ...
grew concerned about athletes he called “hermaphrodites” entering Olympic sports and urged international Olympics officials to require a medical examination before participation in the Olympic Games; a rule allowing for medical examinations of athletes whose sex was called into question was passed in before the
1936 Berlin Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
.
Koubek travelled to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he talked about his history and performed athletics in cabarets. He returned to Czechoslovakia, got married, and worked as a clerk for Škoda Works. Koubek spent his later years with his wife in Prague, where he died in 1986 at the age of 72. A 1935 novel ''Zdenin světový rekord'' (''Zdena's world record'') by Lída Merlínová is based on his early life and career.
The book ''The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports'' (2024), published by Macmillan and written by journalist Michael Waters, delves into the story of Koubek and other early Olympic trans, intersex and gender-diverse athletes in relation to the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...