Emil Zátopek, known as the “Czech Locomotive,” was a dominant distance runner from the late 1940s to mid-1950s, setting 18 world records and winning four Olympic gold medals, including a historic triple victory in the 5,000m, 10,000m, and marathon at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Renowned for his grueling and unconventional training methods, Zátopek was also celebrated for his sportsmanship and camaraderie, transcending Cold War divisions. British author Richard Askwith’s biography, Today We Die A Little!, chronicles Zátopek’s rise from a shoemaking factory worker in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to athletic superstardom, while also exploring the challenges he faced living under a repressive Communist regime.
Beyond his athletic achievements, Zátopek’s life was marked by political complexity and personal courage. Though a Communist party member, he resisted oppressive state demands, notably refusing to compete in the 1952 Olympics unless a blacklisted teammate was allowed to join and openly opposing the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, which led to his expulsion from the army and national sports. Askwith portrays Zátopek not as a defiant political icon but as a fundamentally decent man navigating an indecent era, whose legacy remains relevant amid ongoing debates about the politicization of athletes and sports.
