Věra Čáslavská

Infobox Gymnast
gymnastname= Věra Čáslavská


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fullname= Věra Čáslavská
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birthdate= birth date and age|1942|05|03
birthplace= Prague, Czech Republic
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discipline=WAG
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retired= 1968
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Věra Čáslavská IPA| ['vjɛra 'ʧa:slafska:] (born May 3, 1942) is a Czech gymnast. Blonde, cheerful and possessing impressive stage presence, she was generally popular with the public and won a total of 22 international titles.cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=16525|title=Vera Čáslavská: The heroine of Mexico|publisher=International Olympic Committee|accessdate=2008-01-13]

Čáslavská is the most decorated Czech gymnast in history and is one of only two female gymnasts, along with Soviet Larissa Latynina, to win the all-around gold medal at two consecutive Olympics.cite web|url=http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/caslavska.htm |title=Whatever happened to Vera Čáslavská?|publisher=Gymnastics Greats|date=1999|accessdate=2008-01-13] She was also the 1966 all-around World Champion and the 1965 and 1967 all-around European Champion.

Čáslavská has the distinction of holding more Olympic individual event titles than any other gymnast, a record she has now held for over 40 years.cite web|url=http://www.ighof.com/honorees/honorees_caslavska.html|title=Čáslavská's entry at the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame|publisher=International Gymnastics Hall of Fame|accessdate=2008-01-13] She is also the only gymnast, male or female, ever who has won Olympic gold on every individual event (all-around, vault, uneven bars, beam, floor exercise). Between 1964 and 1968 Čáslavská was undefeated in the all-around in major international competition; to date, she is the only female gymnast ever to win every Olympic, World Championships and European Championships all-around title from one Olympiad to the next.

In addition to her gymnastics success, Čáslavská is known for her outspoken support of the Czechoslovak democratization movement and her opposition to the 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 countrymen, 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 after the fall of Communism, her status improved dramatically. During the 1990s she held several positions of honor, including a term as President of the Czech Olympic Committee. As of 2008, she still resides in Prague and has opted to remain largely out of the public eye.

Gymnastics career

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.cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040508164234/http://www.intlgymnast.com/events/2004/europeans/champions/caslavska.html|title=Vera Čáslavská|publisher="International Gymnast"|date=2004|accessdate=2008-07-01] cite web|url=http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/caslavska.html|title=Bio and list of competitive results at Gymn-Forum|publisher=Gymn Forum|accessdate=2008-01-13]

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 vault, 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.

She was again dominant at the 1968 Summer Olympics, winning medals in all six events. She defended her all-around title and won additional gold medals on the floor, uneven bars and vault, as well as two silvers, for the team competition 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 end of the competition, Čáslavská married runner Josef Odložil, who had been a silver medalist at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. The ceremony, which took place at the Mexico City Cathedral, drew a crowd of thousands.cite web|url=http://www.radio.cz/en/article/27557|title=Czechoslovak sports legend Vera Caslavska celebrates 60th birthday|publisher="Czech Radio International"|date=May 3 2002|author=Cameron, Rob|accessdate=2008-01-01] Čáslavská was cited as being the most popular female athlete at the Olympics.cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1968|title=1968 Olympics|publisher=International Olympic Committee|accessdate=2008-01-13]

Protest at the 1968 Olympics

, and was only granted permission to travel to Mexico City at the last minute.cite web|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1250640,00.html|title=The Perfect Ten|publisher="The Observer Sport Monthly"|date=July 4 2004|accessdate=2008-01-13]

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 occurred 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 the USSR, she protested during both medal ceremonies by quietly turning her head down and away during the playing of the Soviet national anthem.

Aftermath

Čáslavská's 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.cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5DC163AF93AA35757C0A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print|title=A Departure From the Past|publisher="New York Times"|date=April 9 1990|author=Janofsky, Michael|accessdate=2008-01-01]

Czech authorities refused to publish her autobiography, and insisted that it be heavily censored when it was released in Japan.cite web|url=http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=070508162635.jbz33mn9&show_article=1&cat=0|title=Caslavska emerges from 10-year seclusion|publisher=AFP News Service|date=May 4 2007|accessdate=2008-01-01] She was granted leave to work as a coach in Mexico, but reportedly only when the Mexican government threatened to cease oil exports to Czechoslovakia.cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D7143EF931A3575BC0A964958260|title=BARCELONA; For Czech Athletes, the Door to Future Games May Have 2 Entrances|publisher="New York Times"|date=August 2 1992|author=Eskenazi, Gerald|accessdate=2008-01-01] In the late 1980s, following pressure from Juan Antonio Samaranch, the president of the International Olympic Committee, who presented her with the Olympic Order, Čáslavská was finally allowed to work as a gymnastics coach and judge in her home country.

Later life

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.

Čáslavská has received many accolades for her contributions to the sport of gymnastics. In addition to the Olympic Order, she was awarded a 1989 Pierre du Coubertin International Fair Play Trophy by UNESCO and was noted at the ceremony for her "exemplary dignity."cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000893/089390Eo.pdf|title=Address by Mr. Federico Mayor|publisher=UNESCO|date=November 5 1990|accessdate=2008-01-13] In 1995 she was honored with the Czech Republic's Medal of Merit She was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1991cite web|url=http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/about/awards/results.html?record=4|title=List of Honorees, International Women's Sports Hall of Fame|publisher=International Women's Sports Hall of Fame|accessdate=2008-01-13] and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1998.

As of 2008, Čáslavská resides in Prague, and has opted to remain largely out of the public eye.

References

ee also

*List of multiple Olympic gold medalists

External links

*fig|id=4888|name=Věra Čáslavská