Věra Čáslavská

Věra Čáslavská
— Gymnast —
Čáslavská in 1967
Personal information
Full name	Věra Čáslavská
Nickname(s)	Japanese: 「東京の恋人」 English: the love of Tokyo Japanese: 「オリンピックの名花」 English: a celebrated beauty of the Olympic Game
Country represented	Czechoslovakia
Born	(1942-05-03)3 May 1942 Prague, Czechoslovakia (occupied by the National Socialist Germany 1939–1945)
Died	30 August 2016(2016-08-30) (aged 74) Prague, Czech Republic
Height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Weight	128 lb (58 kg)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Retired	1968
Medal record Representing  Czechoslovakia Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo All-Around 1964 Tokyo Vault 1964 Tokyo Balance Beam 1968 Mexico City All-Around 1968 Mexico City Vault 1968 Mexico City Uneven Bars 1968 Mexico City Floor Exercise 1960 Rome Team 1964 Tokyo Team 1968 Mexico City Team 1968 Mexico City Balance Beam World Championships 1962 Prague Vault 1966 Dortmund All-Around 1966 Dortmund Team 1966 Dortmund Vault 1958 Moscow Team 1962 Prague All-Around 1962 Prague Team 1966 Dortmund Balance Beam 1966 Dortmund Floor Exercise 1962 Prague Floor Exercise European Championships 1959 Kraków Balance Beam 1965 Sofia All-Around 1965 Sofia Vault 1965 Sofia Uneven Bars 1965 Sofia Floor Exercise 1965 Sofia Balance Beam 1967 Amsterdam All-Around 1967 Amsterdam Vault 1967 Amsterdam Uneven Bars 1967 Amsterdam Floor Exercise 1967 Amsterdam Balance Beam 1959 Kraków Vault 1961 Leipzig All-Around

Věra Čáslavská (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvjɛra ˈtʃaːslafskaː]; 3 May 1942 – 30 August 2016) was a Czechoslovakian artistic gymnast and Czech sports official. She won a total of 22 international titles between 1959 and 1968 including seven Olympic gold medals, four World titles and eleven European championships. Čáslavská is the most decorated Czech gymnast in history and is one of only two female gymnasts, along with Soviet Larisa Latynina, to win the all-around gold medal at two consecutive Olympics.

In addition to her gymnastics success, Čáslavská was known for her outspoken support of the Czechoslovak democratization movement and her opposition to the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, she took this protest to the world stage by quietly looking down and away while the Soviet national anthem was played during the medal ceremonies for the balance beam and floor exercise event finals. While Čáslavská's actions were applauded by her compatriots, they resulted in her becoming a persona non grata in the new regime. She was forced into retirement and for many years was denied the right to travel, work and attend sporting events.

Čáslavská's situation improved in the 1980s after the intervention of members of the International Olympic Committee, and following the Velvet Revolution her status improved dramatically. During the 1990s she held several positions of honor, including a term as President of the Czech Olympic Committee.

Born in Prague and originally a figure skater, Čáslavská debuted internationally in 1958 at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, winning a silver medal in the team event. Her first international title came the following year at the European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships where she won gold on the vault and silver on the balance beam. She first participated in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, winning a silver medal with the Czechoslovakian team, and then won bronze in the all around event at the 1961 European Championships. She fought for the all-around title at home in the 1962 World Championships, held off only by Larisa Latynina, and managed to win her first world title, in the vault. She did not compete at the 1963 European Championships in Paris.