In the 1930s, Zdeněk Koubek was one of the most dominant figures in women’s athletics in Czechoslovakia.

He was fast, strong, and record-breaking–a rising star of international track and field.

But behind the headlines and medals was a deeper, more complicated story: one of gender identity, public scrutiny, and ultimately, a choice between personal authenticity and athletic fame.

Born Zdenka Koubková in the small Czech town of Paskov, she was raised in Brno. It was there that Zdena, in her late teens, joined the local chapter of Orel, a Catholic youth group focused on sports. She loved to ice skate, and but found she excelled in track and field.

Koubek emerged as a gifted athlete in the early 1930s. At just 19 years old, he broke his first national record in 1932 and went on to set five more.

By 1934, Koubková was one of Czechoslovakia’s most celebrated female athletes, winning two medals at the Women’s World Games in London and breaking two world records in the process.

Zdena’s next world record came in the medley relay (2×100 metres, 200 metres and 800 metres), at 3:14.4. That August, she won the 800-metre event at the 1934 Women’s World Games, in a new world record time of 2:12.4 and finished third in the long jump with a national record of 5.70 metres.

But success came with a spotlight, and that spotlight quickly turned intrusive. Media outlets began speculating about his gender, citing his androgynous appearance and behaviour.

An anonymous request prompted Olympic officials to consider ordering a medical examination. Rather than submit to this scrutiny, Koubek chose to step away from sport and began living openly as a man.

His announcement attracted widespread attention and sparked controversy, especially after novelist Lída Merlínová published a fictionalized book, titled Zdenin světový rekord (Zdena’s World Record), which sympathetically portrayed Koubek’s story.

After the Women’s World Games of 1934, suspicions about Zdena Koubková’s gender were circulating widely. She retired from competition, considering it unfair to compete against women and struggling with her own identity.

In late 1935, some months after the publication of Lída Merlínová’s romanticized biographical novel, Zdena revealed in an interview that she planned to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

Zdena Koubková went from national hero to outcast. Sports officials at home and abroad accused Czechoslovakia of sending “men disguised as women” to compete. After transitioning to Zdeněk Koubek, he was left without a job, income, or diploma—and accepted a paid U.S. lecture tour that resembled a circus sideshow

Koubek’s story is rarely told today, yet it mirrors current debates around transgender athletes and gender policies in sports. From bans in World Aquatics (WA) swimming to efforts by inclusive teams like Team Trans Hockey, the questions Koubek faced still linger nearly a century later.

In remembering Zdeněk Koubek, we not only honor a remarkable athlete but also acknowledge the enduring tension between identity and acceptance in the world of competitive sports.

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