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

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' Places * Czech, ...

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

er. She won the gold medal for javelin at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

(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 me ...

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

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

. She was the European champion in 1954 and 1958. She also set 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 organization ...

in 1958 (55.73 m) when she was 35, making her the oldest woman to break one in an outdoor athletics event. Zátopková and her husband were the witnesses at the wedding ceremony of Olympic gold medalists Olga Fikotová and

Harold Connolly Harold Joseph Connolly (8 September 1901 – 17 May 1980) was a Canadian journalist, newspaper editor, and politician who served as the 15th premier of Nova Scotia in 1954. Connolly was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the son of Richard Joseph ...

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 who served as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953 and the president of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1957. Biography He ...

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 Czechoslovak female javelin throwers Czech female javelin throwers Olympic athletes of 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) {{Czechoslovakia-Olympic-medalist-stub