Josef Holeček (; 25 January 1921 – 20 February 2005) was a

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 ...

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

who competed in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Competing in two

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, he won gold medals in the C-1 1000 m event in both

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

and

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

. Holeček was born in

Říčany Říčany (; ) is a town in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 17,000 inhabitants. According to the national Quality of Life Index, which has been comparing the standard of living in the citie ...

. In addition to his Olympic record, he won two medals at the

1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark. This event was held under the International Canoe Federation. The men's competition consisted of four Canadian (single paddle, open boat) and nine kayak ] A ka ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

with a gold in the C-1 1000 m and a silver in the C-1 10000 m events.

References

* * * * 1921 births 2005 deaths People from Říčany Canoeists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Czechoslovak male canoeists Czech male canoeists Olympic canoeists for Czechoslovakia Olympic gold medalists for Czechoslovakia Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in Canadian Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Canoeists from the Central Bohemian Region {{Czechoslovakia-Olympic-medalist-stub