Emil Zatopek Olympic athlete
- Gender: Male
- Citizenship: Czech Republic
- Born: Sep 19, 1922
- Died: Nov 22, 2000
Emil Zátopek was a Czechoslovak long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. He was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive".
Zátopek was the first athlete to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres. Three years earlier, in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He was the instigator of interval training and hypoventilation training. In February 2013, the editors at Runner's World Magazine selected him as the Greatest Runner of All Time. He is the only person to win the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres, and marathon in the same Olympics.
A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket.
dreams, fitness & money
If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.
experience
The athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He's the center of a team - doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on.
being alone
Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.
friendship
It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.
men
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.
dreams, hope & money