Dana Zátopková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈdana ˈzaːtopkovaː]; née Ingrová [ˈɪŋɡrovaː], 19 September 1922 – 13 March 2020)[1][2][3] was a Czech javelin thrower. She won the gold medal for javelin at the 1952 Summer Olympics (only an hour after her husband, Emil Zátopek, won the 5,000 m),[4] and the silver medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics. She was the European champion in 1954 and 1958. She also set a world record in 1958 (55.73 m) when she was 35, making her the oldest woman to break one in an outdoor athletics event.
 Zátopková in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 19 September 1922 Fryštát, Czechoslovakia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 13 March 2020 (aged 97) Prague, Czech Republic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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 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.[5]
Achievements edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Czechoslovakia
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| 1948 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 7th | 39.94 m | |
| 1950 | European Championships | Brussels, Belgium | 5th | 41.34 m | |
| 1952 | Olympic Games | Helsinki, Finland | 1st | 50.47 m | |
| 1954 | European Championships | Bern, Switzerland | 1st | 52.91 m | |
| 1956 | Olympic Games | Melbourne, Australia | 4th | 49.83 m | |
| 1958 | European Championships | Stockholm, Sweden | 1st | 56.02 m | |
| 1960 | Olympic Games | Rome, Italy | 2nd | 53.78 m | |
References edit
- Biography at zivotopisyonline.cz (in Czech)
- ^ "Zemřela Dana Zátopková". Deník N (in Czech). 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (March 13, 2020). "Dana Zatopkova, Olympic javelin champion whose love affair with Emil Zatopek enthralled the sporting world – obituary". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Litsky, Frank (March 13, 2020). "Dana Zatopkova, Champion Javelin Thrower, Is Dead at 97". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Wallechinsky, David (2012). The Book of Olympic Lists. Aurum Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-1845137731.
- ^ "Olga Fikotová-Connolly: 1956 Olympic champion dubbed "traitor" in communist Czechoslovakia over romance with US athlete". Radio Prague International. May 2008.
External links edit
- In-depth article from European Athletics at the Wayback Machine (archived February 24, 2010)
- Dana Ingrova-Zatopkova at Olympics.com
- Dana Ingrova-Zatopkova at Olympic.org (archived)
- Dana Ingrová-Zátopková at Olympedia
- Dana Zátopková at World Athletics
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