Věra Čáslavská

Věra Čáslavská (3 May 1942 – 30 August 2016) was a gymnast from Czechoslovakia who became one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history. She won seven Olympic gold medals, four world titles, and eleven European championships, making her the most decorated Czech gymnast ever. Čáslavská was the first gymnast to achieve a perfect 10 at a major competition after 1952, and she remains the only gymnast—male or female—to win Olympic gold in every individual event.

She also stood up for what she believed was right. In 1968, when the Soviet Union invaded her country, she protested during the Olympics in Mexico City by looking down during the Soviet national anthem. Though many people admired her courage, this led to her being treated unfairly by the government and forced to retire early.

Later in her life, her situation improved, especially after the Velvet Revolution in the late 1980s and 1990s. She went on to hold important roles, including leading the Czech Olympic Committee, and was honored for her contributions to sports and her country. gymnast Larisa Latynina Simone Biles perfect 10 Katie Ledecky 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968 Olympics Mexico City balance beam floor exercise persona non grata International Olympic Committee Velvet Revolution Czech Olympic Committee

Gymnastics career

Věra Čáslavská was born in Prague and started her career as a figure skater. She soon switched to gymnastics and began competing internationally in 1958 at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, where she won a silver medal with her team. Her first big win came in 1959 at the European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships, where she took gold on the vault and silver on the balance beam.

Čáslavská competed in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, earning a silver medal with the Czechoslovak team. She continued to win many medals in the following years. At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she won the all-around title and gold medals on the balance beam and vault. She also won many titles at the World and European Championships. Before the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, she lost her training place because of political troubles in her country, but she kept training in unusual ways. At these Olympics, she won medals in all six events and defended her all-around title with a very big lead. Her performances made her very popular with the crowd in Mexico.

Later career

Věra Čáslavská was loved by many in her country for her brave performances. In 1968, she was named Czechoslovakia's Sportsperson of the Year for the fourth time. However, because she supported changes in her country during a time of political upset, she was not allowed to travel or take part in sports events for many years.

Later, she was allowed to coach gymnastics in her home country. After the government changed in 1989, her reputation improved. She advised the new president on sports and became the leader of the Czech Olympic Committee. In 1995, she joined a special group that helps choose new members for the International Olympic Committee.

Eponymous skill

Čáslavská has one skill named after her listed in the Code of Points.

Honours

Věra Čáslavská received many awards for her achievements in gymnastics. She was given the Olympic Order and in 1989 won the Pierre de Coubertin International Fair Play Trophy from UNESCO. She also received the Czech Republic's Medal of Merit in 1995, and was added to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2010, she was honored with the Order of the Rising Sun from Japan and given special gifts from the Japanese emperor.

In 2014, she and a journalist named Iva Drapalova shared the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award for showing great courage as citizens. Additionally, an asteroid in space was named after her.

Personal life and death

Věra Čáslavská married runner Josef Odložil before the end of the 1968 Olympics. They had a daughter named Radka and a son named Martin. The couple later divorced in 1987.

Čáslavská was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. Her health worsened in the summer of 2016, and she passed away in a hospital in Prague on 30 August at the age of 74.

Competition history

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
1957	Junior Championships of the Republic
1958	Czechoslovakian Championships
	World Championships		8
1959	Czechoslovakian Championships
	European Championships		8
1960	Czechoslovakian Championships
	Czechoslovakian Spartakiade
	Olympic Games		8			6
1961	Czechoslovakian Championships
	Czechoslovakia – East Germany Dual Meet		4
	European Championships			6	5	6
1962	Czechoslovakian Championships
	Czechoslovakia – East Germany – Ukraine (Soviet Union) Tri-Meet
	Tbilisi International
	World Championships				5	5
1963	Japan – Czechoslovakia Dual Meet
1964	Czechoslovakian Championships
	Czechoslovakia – East Germany Dual Meet
	Olympic Games				5		6
	United States – Czechoslovakia Dual Meet
1965	Czechoslovakian Spartakiade
	European Championships
1966	Czechoslovakian Championships
	Hungary – Czechoslovakia – Britain Tri-Meet
	Germany – Czechoslovakia Dual Meet
	World Championships				4
1967	Czechoslovakian Championships
	European Championships
1968	Czechoslovakian Championships
	Olympic Games