Věra Čáslavská

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Věra Čáslavská (born May 3, 1942) is a Czech (formerly Czechoslovakian) gymnast. Blonde, cheerful and possessing impressive stage presence, she was generally popular with the public and won a total of 22 international titles.

Born in Prague and originally a figure skater, Čáslavská debuted internationally at the 1958 World Championships, winning a silver medal in the team event. She first participated in the Olympic Games in 1960, also winning a silver medal with the Czechoslovakian team. By 1962, she fought for the all-around title at the World Championships, held off only by Larissa Latynina.

Čáslavská was at her peak at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, clearly winning the overall title and taking gold medals in the balance beam and the horse vault as well, in addition to another silver medal in the team event. She would finally win a team gold at the 1966 World Championships, breaking the Soviet monopoly in that event for a while.

She was again dominant at the 1968 Summer Olympics, winning medals in all six events, winning four (individual all-around, floor, uneven bars, horse vault) and finishing twice second (team all-around and balance beam). Her use of the "Jarabe tapatío" as the music for her floor routine made her immensely popular with the Mexican crowd. Shortly after the competitions had ended, Čáslavská married with Josef Odložil, winner of the 1500 m Olympic silver medal in 1964.

Čáslavská's wins at the 1968 Olympics were particularly poignant because of the political turmoil in Czechoslovakia. She had been granted permission to travel to Mexico City at the very last minute, having spent several weeks in hiding for her outspoken opposition to Communism and the Soviet invasion. At the Olympics, where she once again faced Soviet opposition, Čáslavská continued to subtly voice her views. After appearing to have won the gold medal on floor outright, the judging panel curiously upgraded the preliminary scores of Soviet Larisa Petrik, and declared a tie for the gold instead. All of this on the heels of another very controversial judging decision that cost Čáslavská the gold on beam, instead awarding the title to Soviet rival Natalia Kuchinskaya. Clearly disheartened and angered by the politics that favored her sworn enemies, she protested during both medal ceremonies by quietly turning her head down and away during the playing of the Soviet national anthem. Her countrymen revered her for her brave demonstration on the world's biggest stage. Her federation, however, was none too pleased. For her consistent support of the Czechoslovak democratization movement (the so-called "Prague Spring") in 1968, and during the purges which followed the Soviet-led invasion in August 1968, she was deprived of the right to travel abroad and participate in public sport events both in Czechoslovakia and abroad. Čáslavská was effectively forced into retirement, and was considered a "persona non grata" for many years in her home country.

After the fall of Communism in November 1989 Čáslavská's status improved dramatically. She became President Havel's adviser and Honorary President of the Czech-Japan Association. Later, after leaving the President's Office, she was elected President of the Czech Olympic Committee. In 1995 she was appointed to the IOC membership committee. She has been inducted into both the Women's International Hall of Fame, and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (1998).

Trivia

• Čáslavská is the only female gymnast, besides Soviet Larissa Latynina, to win two consecutive all-around gold medals at the Olympics.
• She is the most decorated Czech gymnast in history.

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