Emil Zatopek

1922-2000

He paid a hefty price. In 1969, he was stripped of his colonelcy and expelled from the Communist Party. Zatopek, who spoke six languages, was coerced into working in a uranium mine for six laborious years.

"He would stand-up and tell the people not to believe Communist propaganda," Jirka recalled. "The Commies freaked out and expelled him from big cities. But even in the village he’d go to a little pub after work and talk to the neighbors about politics."

"He received invitations to speak abroad," said Jirka, who was ordered, as a member of the Czech Athletic Association, to travel with Zatopek to ensure he wouldn’t flee. "The State would let him go, so it looked to the outside world like he was famous. But nobody here knew."

Abroad, Jirka never worried about Zatopek, for despite tough times, he loved his homeland. "All he needed was to drink Moravian wine and sing a Moravian song and he was happy in this country," Jirka remembered. "He was such an individual. I made arrangements for most athletes, but Zatopek did everything himself. He had interviews planned in every country."

Jirka, now 75, recalled Zatopek’s last race—in Spain in 1958, when crowds of fans followed Zatopek through San Sebastian’s narrow streets. They stopped in a small-town restaurant in the Basque territory where, upon entering, they noticed Czech flags and memorabilia. The owner loved Zatopek.

So much so that he offered him his dog, named Pedro. The Czech, aware that it was illegal to import and export animals, graciously declined.

The next day Zatopek and Jirka drove just past the French border to catch a train. While waiting to depart, an old Spanish lady approached Zatopek with a dog—Pedro. "This is a gift from the restaurant owner," said the lady, who had obviously just smuggled the dog into France.

An overwhelmed Zatopek accepted. He concealed Pedro in his bag, while Jirka turned his face. At the Czechoslovakian border, Zatopek nonchalantly snuck Pedro past the border guards. They spent the next ten years together.

"Before we hit the Czechoslovakian border, Zatopek kept saying ‘Don’t make a lot of noise, Pedro.’ But the dog didn’t even speak Czech," remembered Jirka.

After retirement, Zatopek flirted with coaching, but to no avail. Broz says old-school Zatopek became frustrated when his pupils wouldn’t match his dedicated practice habits.

In 1990, the year after Communism collapsed in Czechoslovakia, Zatopek received a public apology for his treatment.

On November 30, 2000, 8 days after his death, Zatopek was the unanimous choice for "Czech Sporting Legend of the Century." From 1948-1954, he never lost a race over 10K and was the first to run that distance under 29 minutes. He claimed every world record from 5K to 30K, amassed four golds and one silver, and won the hearts of the world.

Adam B. Ellick is a freelance journalist living in Prague. He can be reached at Praguenews@aol.com