Nicknamed "The Czech Locomotive" Emil Zátopek broke 18 world records over various distances, becoming the only man to hold 8 different world records simultaneously!

Considered as one of the greatest runners of all time, he left his mark after his historic hat-trick in 1952. He won successively the 10,000 meters, the 5000 meters and the marathon, a distance he ran for the first time, a performance that has never been repeated since.

Revolutionary in his training methods, Zátopek invented the split race, now used by the vast majority of top athletes. This national hero was honored by Václav Havel in 1988 with the Order of the White Lion. He was also enthroned into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.