Emil Zatopek
Emil Zatopek
Emil Zátopek; 19 September 1922 – 22 November 2000) 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 5,000 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"...
NationalityCzechoslovakian
ProfessionRunner
Date of Birth19 September 1922
CityKoprivnice, Czech Republic
Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.
It is not necessary to smile and make a wonderful impression on the judges.
I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known.
Try for a goal that's reasonable, then gradually raise it.
Why should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast.
What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.
When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran 100 meters fast 20 times. Then I came back, slow,slow,slow. People said, 'Emil, you are crazy. You are training like a sprinter.'
It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.
If I can get better, why not?
Everyone said, 'Emil, you are a fool!' But when I first won the European Championship, they said: 'Emil, you are a genius!'
One day the factory sports coach, who was very strict, pointed at four boys, including me, and ordered us to run in a race. I protested that I was weak and not fit to run, but the coach sent me for a physical examination and the doctor said that I was perfectly well. So I had to run, and when I got started I felt I wanted to win. But I only came in second. That was the way it started.
My running was very simple; it was out of myself.
We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.
A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket.