Zátopek

March 2016, 208 pages

Available material: English translation, German translation

Foreign editions: Germany (Voland & Quist), France (Des ronds dans l’O), Spain (Aloha editorial), Bulgaria (Janet 45 Publishing), Great Britain (SelfMadeHero), Italy (Miraggi Edizioni), Greece (Kastaniotis Editions)

An intoxicating, visually intense portrait of legendary runner Emil Zátopek

Emil Zátopek is arguably the greatest Olympic champion of all time. The Czech runner’s three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics­­­­– for the 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter and marathon– is an achievement that has never been paralleled. His success as a runner made him a national hero, but as a courageous and outspoken public figure, he was equally impressive.

Even before the Helsinki Games, Zátopek had scored a remarkable victory in successfully pressuring the communist regime re-admit his colleague Stanislav Jungwirth into competition, after Jungwirth had been barred on political grounds.

In Zátopek, Jan Novák and Jaromír 99 trace the extraordinary life and times of the great Olympian, from his first meeting with Dana, the love of his life, to the victories that would ensure his lasting legacy.