A legend passes away. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/athletics/newsid_1035000/1035152.stm Wednesday, 22 November, 2000, 11:12 GMT Czech legend Zatopek dies Legendary Czech athlete Emil Zatopek has died aged 78 in a Prague military hospital. Zatopek, who became a quadruple Olympic champion between 1948 and 1952, was suffering with a mystery virus which was complicated by pneumonia and a weakened heart rate. He was hospitalised after a stroke on 30 October and had been in a critical condition since. Nicknamed "the locomotive" in his prime, Zatopek won four Olympic gold medals. Born on 19 September 1922, in the north-east town of Koprivnice, Zatopek was the only athlete in Olympic history to have won three gold medals in long-distance events at a single Olympiad when he won three gold medals in Helsinki in 1952. He took gold in the 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon to add to his medal collection from London in 1948, where he won gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5,000m. Zatopek's victory in the marathon was particularly memorable after he had inquired whether the pace was fast enough for his rivals before racing past the finishing line to finish 700m ahead of the stunned chasing pack. "I wanted to win every time I was on the track," Zatopek told his biographers. "At Helsinki, I was tired after the 10,000m race, but I still shattered all my rivals." His successful athletic career encompassed a total of 18 world records over 15 years, including the accolade of becoming the first athlete to finish a 10,000m race under 29 minutes. Never one to follow populist trends, Zatopek eschewed the orthodox training methods in favour of his own unique style which made a significant impact on modern day athletics. Instead of practising long distances, he preferred numerous 400m circuit runs at full speed to perfect his explosive finishes, along with improving his overall stamina. Off the track, Zatopek was expelled from his senior position in the army and the Czech Communist Party after his open support for the democratic movement, known as the "Prague Spring" in 1962. Uranium mine The Communist rulers, deeply unhappy that one of the nation's biggest stars had undermined their rule, sent Zatopek to a Czech uranium mine where he was forced to work for six years. Married for 52 years with fellow-athlete Dana Ingrova, a former Olympic champion in javelin, he became the first Czech athlete to be awarded the UN's Pierre de Coubertin Prize for promoting Fair Play. The Government eventually acknowledged his contribution to Czechoslovakian sport when they employed him to work for the Ministry of Sport in 1982.
