Dana Zatopkova, the 1952 Olympic javelin champion and wife of four-time Olympic running champion Emil Zatopek, died at the age of 97 on Friday, the Czech Olympic Committee said.
“Czech sport has lost one of its greatest personalities,” the COC said in a statement.
Besides the gold from the Helsinki Olympics, Zatopkova won the Olympic silver in Rome in 1960.
In 1958, she set the world record of 55.73 meters at the age of 35. She became the European champion in 1954 and 1958.
Zatopkova was born on Sept. 19, 1922, and shared the same birthday as her husband Zatopek, the 1948 Olympic running champion over 10,000 meters, who went on to win the 5,000, the 10,000 and the marathon at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
Zatopek died in 2000.
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