Dana Zátopková

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.

Dana Zátopková
Zátopková in 2007
Personal information
Born(1922-09-19)19 September 1922
Fryštát, Czechoslovakia
Died13 March 2020(2020-03-13) (aged 97)
Prague, Czech Republic
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Czechoslovakia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki Javelin throw
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome Javelin throw
European Athletics Championships
Gold medal – first place1954 Bern Javelin throw
Gold medal – first place1958 StockholmJavelin throw
Dana Zátopková (2014)

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
YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing  Czechoslovakia
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
  1. "Zemřela Dana Zátopková". Deník N (in Czech). 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  2. Obituaries, Telegraph (March 13, 2020). "Dana Zatopkova, Olympic javelin champion whose love affair with Emil Zatopek enthralled the sporting world – obituary" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. Litsky, Frank (March 13, 2020). "Dana Zatopkova, Champion Javelin Thrower, Is Dead at 97" – via NYTimes.com.
  4. Wallechinsky, David (2012). The Book of Olympic Lists. p. 23. ISBN 978-1845137731.
  5. "Olga Fikotová-Connolly: 1956 Olympic champion dubbed "traitor" in communist Czechoslovakia over romance with US athlete". Radio Prague International.


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