Věra Čáslavská (; 3 May 1942 – 30 August 2016) was a
Czechoslovak artistic
gymnast
Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...
and
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
sports official. She won a total of 22 international titles between 1959 and 1968 including seven Olympic gold medals, four world titles and eleven European championships. Čáslavská is the most decorated Czech gymnast in history and is one of only three female gymnasts, along with the Soviet
Larisa Latynina
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a Russian former artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 List of multiple Olympic medalists, individual Olympic medals and four team medals for the Sovie ...
and American
Simone Biles
Simone Arianne Biles Owens ( Biles; born March 14, 1997) is an American Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. Her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals make her the most decorated gymnast in history. She is widely regarded as one ...
, to win the all-around gold medal at two Olympics.
She remains the only gymnast, male or female, to have won an Olympic gold medal in each individual event. She was also the first gymnast to achieve a
perfect 10 at a major competition in the post-1952 era. She held the record for the most individual gold medals (with 7) among all female athletes (not only gymnasts) in Olympic history as well until it was surpassed by swimmer
Katie Ledecky in 2024 after 56 years.
In addition to her gymnastics success, Čáslavská was known for her outspoken support of the Czechoslovak democratization movement and her opposition to the
1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. At the
1968 Olympics in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, she took this protest to the world stage by quietly looking down and away while the Soviet national anthem was played during the medal ceremonies for the
balance beam and
floor exercise event finals. While Čáslavská's actions were applauded by her compatriots, they resulted in her becoming a ''
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...
'' in the new regime. She was forced into retirement and for many years was denied the right to travel, work and attend sporting events.
Čáslavská's situation improved in the 1980s after the intervention of members of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
, and following the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
her status got better significantly. During the 1990s she held several positions of honor, including a term as president of the
Czech Olympic Committee
The Czech Olympic Committee () is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) representing the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country i ...
.
Gymnastics career
Born in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
and originally a
figure skater
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...
, Čáslavská debuted internationally in 1958 at the
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for artistic gymnastics governed by the International Gymnastics Federation, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). The first edition of the championships was held ...
, winning a silver medal in the team event. Her first international title came the following year at the
European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships where she won gold on the
vault and silver on the
balance beam. She first participated in the 1960
Summer Olympic Games
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 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
, winning a silver medal with the Czechoslovak team, and then won bronze in the all around event at the 1961 European Championships. She fought for the all-around title at home in the 1962 World Championships, held off only by
Larisa Latynina
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a Russian former artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 List of multiple Olympic medalists, individual Olympic medals and four team medals for the Sovie ...
, and managed to win her first world title, in the vault. She did not compete at the 1963 European Championships in Paris.
Between 1964 and 1968, Čáslavská won 19 individual gold medals in major international competitions. In this period she remained undefeated in the all-around in major international competition. She is the only female gymnast ever to win every Olympic, World Championships and European Championships all-around title from one Olympiad to the next one. She was at her peak at the
1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...
in Tokyo, winning the overall title and taking gold medals in the balance beam and the vault, in addition to another silver medal in the team event. At the 1966 World Championships, Čáslavská defended her vault title, winning a team gold – breaking the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
monopoly in that event – and became all-around world champion. Čáslavská dominated the 1965 and 1967 European Championships, taking all five individual titles
and scoring two
perfect scores of 10 in 1967. She is the only gymnast who has swept all five European individual golds twice.
Prior to the
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...
in Mexico City, Čáslavská lost her training facility due to the
Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. Instead, she used potato sacks as weights and logs as beams whilst training in the forests of
Hrubý Jeseník mountains in northern
Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
.
She was again dominant at the 1968 Summer Olympics, winning medals in all six events. She defended her all-around title and won additional gold medals on the
floor
A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from wikt:hovel, simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the ex ...
,
uneven bars
The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...
and vault, as well as two silvers, for the team competition and balance beam.
She won the 1968 Olympic all-around title with the highest recorded score up to that time. Her win by 1.4 points has remained the largest margin of victory in Olympics, World, World Cup, or European Championships for women in an all-around competition for 48 years. It was finally surpassed in 2016, ten years after a major rule change (the 2006 implementation of open ended scoring). As of the
2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she and
Larisa Latynina
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a Russian former artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 List of multiple Olympic medalists, individual Olympic medals and four team medals for the Sovie ...
are the only gymnasts to win the gold medal in individual all-around in consecutive Olympic games. She is also one of only two female gymnasts to defend gold medal in the vault apparatus. Her use of the "
Jarabe tapatío" as the music for her floor routine and her subsequent marriage in the city made her immensely popular with the Mexican crowd.
Protest at the 1968 Olympics
Čáslavská's wins at the 1968 Olympics were particularly poignant because of the political turmoil in Czechoslovakia. She had publicly voiced her strong opposition to Soviet-style Communism and the Soviet invasion, and had signed
Ludvik Vaculík's protest manifesto "
Two Thousand Words" in the spring of 1968. Consequently, to avoid being arrested, she left the training facility in the town of
Šumperk with the help of Zdeněk Zerzáň, chief of Jeseníky
Mountain Rescue Service. She spent the weeks leading up to the Olympics hiding in a remote mountain hut at
Vřesová studánka, and was only granted permission to travel to Mexico City at the last minute.
At the Olympics, where she once again faced Soviet opposition, Čáslavská continued to subtly voice her views. After she appeared to have won the gold medal on floor outright, the judging panel curiously upgraded the preliminary scores of Soviet
Larisa Petrik, and declared a tie for the gold instead. All of this occurred on the heels of another very controversial judging decision that cost Čáslavská the gold on beam, instead awarding the title to her Soviet rival
Natalia Kuchinskaya
Natalia Alexandrovna Kuchinskaya (; alternative transliteration Natal'ja Alieksandrovna Kutchinskaja), also known as Natasha Kuchinskaya (Russian: Наташа Кучинская) (born 8 March 1949) is a retired Russian Olympic gymnast. She won ...
. Clearly disheartened and angered by the politics that favored the USSR, she protested during both medal ceremonies by quietly turning her head down and away during the playing of the Soviet national anthem.
Later career
Čáslavská was revered by Czech people for her brave demonstration on the world's biggest stage, and she was awarded
Czechoslovakia's Sportsperson of the Year award in 1968 (for the fourth and final time). Her federation, however, was none too pleased. For her consistent support of the Czechoslovak democratization movement (the
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
) in 1968, and during the purges which followed the Soviet-led invasion in August 1968, she was deprived of the right to travel abroad and participate in public sport events both in Czechoslovakia and abroad. Čáslavská was effectively forced into retirement, and was considered a ''persona non grata'' for many years in her home country.
Czechoslovak authorities refused to publish her autobiography, and insisted that it be heavily censored when it was released in Japan.
She was granted leave to work as a coach in Mexico, but reportedly only when the Mexican government threatened to cease oil exports to Czechoslovakia.
After return from Mexico in the beginning of 1980s she shared an office with
Emil Zátopek where the two former sport stars and present-day outcasts were given meaningless administrative roles. In the late 1980s, following pressure from
Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then president of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
, who had presented her with the
Olympic Order
The Olympic Order, established in 1975, is the highest award of the Olympic Movement. It is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, i.e. recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. Tradit ...
, Čáslavská was finally allowed to work as a gymnastics coach and judge in her home country.
After the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
in November 1989 brought an end to communist government in Czechoslovakia, Čáslavská's status improved dramatically. She became
President Havel's adviser on sports and social matters and Honorary President of the Czech-Japan Association.
Later, after leaving the President's Office, she was elected President of the
Czech Olympic Committee
The Czech Olympic Committee () is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) representing the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country i ...
.
In 1995, she was appointed to the IOC membership committee.
Eponymous skill
Čáslavská has one eponymous skill listed in the
Code of Points.
Honours
Čáslavská received numerous accolades for her contributions to the sport of gymnastics. In addition to the Olympic Order, she was awarded a 1989
Pierre de Coubertin
Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...
International Fair Play Trophy by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
and was noted at the ceremony for her "exemplary dignity".
In 1995, she was honored with the Czech Republic's
Medal of Merit.
She was inducted into the
International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1991
and the
International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the world's greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics.
The early IG ...
in 1998.
In 2010, she was awarded the
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
, 3rd class. She was also presented a 17th-century
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
and a ceremonial
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...
from the Japanese emperor.
In 2014, she was the joint recipient (with AP journalist Iva Drapalova) of the
Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award, awarded annually by the
Prague Society for International Cooperation and Global Panel Foundation, for outstanding civic courage.
An inner
main belt asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
(26986) Caslavska
is named for her.
Personal life and death
Shortly before the end of the 1968 Olympics, Čáslavská married runner
Josef Odložil, who had been a silver medalist at the
1964 Olympics in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. The ceremony, which took place at the
Mexico City Cathedral, drew a crowd of thousands.
They had a daughter, Radka, and a son, Martin.
The couple divorced in 1987.
In 1993, her son and ex-husband were involved in an altercation with Martin allegedly punching Josef; he fell to the floor and struck his head, leading to his death after 35 days. Čáslavská became severely depressed and apathetic and was rarely seen in public afterwards.
For a while she was treated at a psychiatric hospital where she even underwent
electroshock treatment, before moved into nursing home. Čáslavská eventually overcame her depression (which she had been fighting for about 15 years), cancel all medication and returned to both social and sports lives, coaching younger gymnasts. After many years of seclusion, when she was barely seen except by her closest friends and family, she had seemed to be regaining her appetite for life. She was describing her new-found energy as “miraculous” and had recovered enough ''
joie de vivre
( , ; " joy of living") is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit, and general happiness.
It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And ' ...
'' to delight Mexican spectators, as a guest at a gymnastics event in Acapulco, by demonstrating spontaneously that at 70 she could still do the splits.
Čáslavská was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
in 2015. Her health deteriorated significantly in the summer of 2016, to such an extent that she was taken to a hospital in Prague on 30 August, where she died at the age of 74.
Competition history
See also
*
List of top Olympic gymnastics medalists
*
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caslavska, Vera
1942 births
2016 deaths
Czechoslovak female artistic gymnasts
Gymnasts at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Gymnasts at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Gymnasts at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Olympic gymnasts for Czechoslovakia
Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Olympic medalists in gymnastics
Olympic gold medalists for Czechoslovakia
Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia
World champion gymnasts
European champions in gymnastics
Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Czech International Olympic Committee members
Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)
Czech sports executives and administrators
Gymnasts from Prague
Deaths from pancreatic cancer in the Czech Republic
Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics