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
Perhaps sometimes I was like a mad dog. It didn't matter about style or what it looked like to others; there were records to break.
You can't climb to the second floor without a ladder. Try for a goal that's reasonable, then gradually raise it.
What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.
A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket.
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.
If you want to win a race try the 100 meter. If you want to win an experience try the marathon.
If you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience another life, run a marathon.
My running was very simple; it was out of myself.
Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem.
Everyone said, 'Emil, you are a fool!' But when I first won the European Championship, they said: 'Emil, you are a genius!'
If I can get better, why not?
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.'
The athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He's the center of a team - doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on.
What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.