• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Olympics

Happy Birthday, Dana Zátopková! by Pat Butcher/Globerunner

RBR AdminbyRBR Admin
September 19, 2018
0
0 0
0
SHARES
3
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Globerunner blog is one of the finest blogs on the subject of athletics. I have said this before and I will say it again. If you are a real geek and love well written, thoughtful commentary on the sport, then sign up (it’s Free) for Pat Butcher’s tomes.

Today, he writes about Dana Zatopekova, the wife of the late Emil Zatopek. They are Olympic royalty. In 1952, Emil Zatopek won the 10,000m, 5,000m and marathon. Just after his 5000m victory, Dana won the javelin, on her first throw, with an Olympic and national record. Today is Dana’s 96th birthday.

RelatedPosts

A Paris Olympic Boycott threat, a special report by David Miller for The Sports Examiner (repost)

Paris 2024: YOUR CHANCE TO ENJOY THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Jake Wightman recalls the European Championships

I met Dana in 2001. I was with Czech decathlete star Roman Seble, and he saw the dimunitive Dana across the room. Roman and another Czech star excused themselves and crossed the room to greet Dana Zátopková. She lit up as the two handsome men kissed her, and spoke animatedly as she laughed and smiled with her two young suitors.

Pat Butcher wrote the following column for Dana’s birthday. He quotes his book QUICKSILVER, The Mercurial Emil Zátopek, his fine book on Emil Zatopek. (You must have this book on your bookshelf, it is a superb book on the most amazing athlete, and Pat Butcher did some amazing interviews for the book. )

Pat Butcher reminds us that Dana Zátopková had a wicked sense of humor as well as a wicked throwing arm. Happy 96th, Dana!

emildanamedals.jpgEmil Zatopek and Dana Zatopekova, photo from QUICKSILVER, The Mercurial Emil Zátopek

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANA

Posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 at 12:34 pm and is filed under Butcher’s Blog |

Dana Zátopková is 96 years old today; her celebrated husband, Emil Zátopek would have been 96 too, since by coincidence they were born on the same day, just a few hours and a hundred kilometres or so apart. Her status as an elder stateswoman of the sport seems to contrast with her beginnings; because apparently Dana was a bit of a tomboy in her youth, dashing around, according to her mother in the most unladylike fashion. But that dynamism (and her mastery of the popular songbook of the period) attracted Emil, and has doubtless contributed to her longevity. Equally, his unbelievably onerous training programme may have contributed to Emil’s relatively early death, aged 78, in 2000.

A real ‘character’ herself, most of her life Dana had to play second fiddle to her ebullient and talkative husband. But she had her own moments in the sun, not least when she won the Olympic javelin title in Helsinki 1952, just after Emil had won the 5000 metres, the second leg (between the 10,000m and the marathon) of his unrepeatable Olympic treble. Even then, Emil had won three golds to her one; and he joked that the 5000m only made it 2-1, and he needed that third victory to emphasise family superiority. But he went a step too far when he attributed her victory to himself. Her riposte is typical of the sense of humour which endures to this day.

Here, beginning with the prelude to the 1952 Olympic javelin final, is the relevant extract from my book on Zátopek, QUICKSILVER*.

‘… The final of the women’s javelin was due to begin concurrent with the 5000 metres, and as she (Dana) records, the last thing she needed was the sort of cliff-hanger finale that Emil had stage-managed so adroitly. ‘That´s terrible, she wrote in their autobiography, ‘That Ťopek (chohpek, his pet name) always makes it so exciting that the whole stadium is on its feet. When I see him chasing like that my knees are shaking. With that, I won’t throw any distance at all’.

‘I was trying to comfort her,’ wrote Emil, ‘telling her to stay calm, because she’d lost before and I wasn’t going to win the 5000 metres anyway. At the finish I recognized, to my delight, my mistake. When I looked around the stadium, I didn’t see either Dana or the other javelin throwers. We met in the changing room after the award ceremony. I wanted to ask why the javelin had been delayed but I couldn’t get a word in edgeways. She jumped all over me, she was so thrilled. “You really won it! That´s wonderful! Show me the medal!” And there she was, putting it into her bag. For good luck, she said.

‘I wasn’t even dressed after my shower when the coach ran in, yelling, “Dana threw 50 metres!” “She must have broken the national record with that,” I said incredulously. “So she did,” he said, “and even the Olympic one. Just imagine, right on the first throw! The others almost fainted when they saw it”. And so Dana won it with that first throw. It was really strange and I wasn´t the only one who thought she threw it because she was excited by my victory. When I told her, she just smiled. “Oh yeah?” she said. “So go and excite some other girl if you’re so smart. See if she´ll throw a javelin 50 metres for you!”‘

Happy Birthday, Dana!

* QUICKSILVER, The Mercurial Emil Zátopek – https://www.globerunner.org/books/

(any problems with link, please go to website homepage, and click on ‘books’)

The link to Globerunner is https://www.globerunner.org/09/happy-birthday-dana/.

Want bonus content on athletics? Support the sport of athletics! Support RunBlogRun as we cover the sport of athletics nearly 24/7, and get bonus content, please go to: https://www.patreon.com/RunBlogRun!

Author

  • RBR Admin
    RBR Admin

    View all posts

Previous Post

2018 HOKA One One Postal Nationals Fall Training, Week One, Day Three, Wednesday is race day, or moderate run and stride outs

Next Post

European Athletics Results, 2017-2018, Number 32, compiled and edited by Carles Baronet, Track in Sun, Blogspot !

RBR Admin

RBR Admin

Similar Post

Cofffee With Larry, Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country, NB Indoor Grand Prix, Millrose Games, Dubai Marathon, USATF Indoors
News

Cofffee With Larry, Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country, NB Indoor Grand Prix, Millrose Games, Dubai Marathon, USATF Indoors

January 30, 2023
2023 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week 4, Day 7, Sunday is a long run…
Winter Training

2023 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week 4, Day 7, Sunday is a long run…

January 30, 2023
Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic (updated with event photos)
American Records

Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic (updated with event photos)

January 29, 2023
The Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour is expected to be bigger this year
African Athletics

The Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour is expected to be bigger this year

January 29, 2023
Woody Kincaid sets AR for 5,000m, 12:51.61,  in titanic struggle with Joe Klecker, 12:54.99, both under 13 minutes!
American Records

Woody Kincaid sets AR for 5,000m, 12:51.61, in titanic struggle with Joe Klecker, 12:54.99, both under 13 minutes!

January 29, 2023
Coffee With Larry: Yared Nuguse’s AR 3,000m in 7:28.24, Woody Kincaid’s 12:51.61, 5000m AR, HOT Karlsruhe Meeting, Keely Hodgkinson runs fast 600 meters, sets meet record!
News

Coffee With Larry: Yared Nuguse’s AR 3,000m in 7:28.24, Woody Kincaid’s 12:51.61, 5000m AR, HOT Karlsruhe Meeting, Keely Hodgkinson runs fast 600 meters, sets meet record!

January 28, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

July 5, 2022
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

July 17, 2022
Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

November 18, 2022
Wanda Diamond League Final plans, 2023-2027, from World Athletics Website

Wanda Diamond League Final plans, 2023-2027, from World Athletics Website

October 14, 2022
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

5
TCS New York City Marathon Broadcast to be Available in More Than 530 Million Homes Around the World on Sunday, November 6

RunblogRun Editorial: The Sorry State of Running Television Coverage, by Peter Abraham, note by Larry Eder

4
Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

3
Cofffee With Larry, Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country, NB Indoor Grand Prix, Millrose Games, Dubai Marathon, USATF Indoors

Cofffee With Larry, Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country, NB Indoor Grand Prix, Millrose Games, Dubai Marathon, USATF Indoors

January 30, 2023
2023 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week 4, Day 7, Sunday is a long run…

2023 RunBlogRun Winter Training Block, Week 4, Day 7, Sunday is a long run…

January 30, 2023
Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic (updated with event photos)

Yared Nuguse sets AR for 3,000m in 7:28.24 at Boston Terrier Classic (updated with event photos)

January 29, 2023
The Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour is expected to be bigger this year

The Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour is expected to be bigger this year

January 29, 2023

Popular Stories

  • USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

    Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Wanda Diamond League Final plans, 2023-2027, from World Athletics Website

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Howard Slusher, RIP, 1937-2022, the man behind the new Hayward Field

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent Tweets

RunBlogRun Follow

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. RunBlogRun is the voice of the sport.

RunBlogRun
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
12m

Mike Foppen, 2023 Boston Terrier Classic, January 27, 2023, photo by #KevinMorris, #BostonTerrierClassic, #tracklife, #trackandlife, #usatf, #WAIndoorTour,

Reply on Twitter 1619907562672979969 Retweet on Twitter 1619907562672979969 Like on Twitter 1619907562672979969 Twitter 1619907562672979969
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
19m

Adam Fogg, Under Armour, 2023 Boston Terrier Classic, January 27, 2023, photo by #KevinMorris, #BostonTerrierClassic, #tracklife, #trackandlife, #usatf, #WAIndoorTour,

Reply on Twitter 1619905784749473792 Retweet on Twitter 1619905784749473792 Like on Twitter 1619905784749473792 Twitter 1619905784749473792
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
31m

Ben Flanagan, On Running, 2023 Boston Terrier Classic, January 27, 2023, photo by #KevinMorris, #BostonTerrierClassic, #tracklife, #trackandlife, #usatf, #WAIndoorTour, #OnRunning, #dathanritzenhein,

Reply on Twitter 1619902869246775298 Retweet on Twitter 1619902869246775298 Like on Twitter 1619902869246775298 Twitter 1619902869246775298
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
34m

Samuel Firewu, 2023 Boston Terrier Classic, January 27, 2023, photo by #KevinMorris, #BostonTerrierClassic, #tracklife, #trackandlife, #usatf, #WAIndoorTour, #adidasrunning,

Reply on Twitter 1619902011951947776 Retweet on Twitter 1619902011951947776 Like on Twitter 1619902011951947776 Twitter 1619902011951947776
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
38m

Willy Fink, Under Armour, 2023 Boston Terrier Classic, January 27, 2023, photo by #KevinMorris, #BostonTerrierClassic, #tracklife, #trackandlife, #usatf, #WAIndoorTour, #underarmour,

Reply on Twitter 1619901110772289536 Retweet on Twitter 1619901110772289536 Like on Twitter 1619901110772289536 Twitter 1619901110772289536
Load More...
Next Post

European Athletics Results, 2017-2018, Number 32, compiled and edited by Carles Baronet, Track in Sun, Blogspot !

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist