The short version
- Emil Zátopek won gold in 1948 and three golds at the 1952 Games; Věra Čáslavská won seven Olympic golds in gymnastics.
- Jan Železný won javelin golds in 1992, 1996 and 2000; Ester Ledecká won two golds in 2018 and one in 2022.
- Czech teams are strongest in hockey: Olympic gold in Nagano in 1998, and the 2024 World Championship won in Prague.
On this page 8 sections
Ask a Czech fan who the greatest athlete in the nation's history is and you'll get a spirited argument. It will probably start with a long-distance runner nicknamed the Czech Locomotive and finish with a snowboarder who also wins on skis.
I haven't printed medal totals. They change every Games, and depend on how Czechoslovak results are counted after 1993, so for the official table use the IOC and the Czech Olympic Committee. What follows are the athletes and the moments.
A long history
The Czech lands joined the Olympic movement early. The Czech Olympic Committee was founded in 1899, and athletes from Bohemia competed separately from Austria in Paris in 1900. Czechoslovakia sent teams from 1920, and after the federation split the Czech Republic competed under its own flag, from the 1994 Winter Games and the 1996 Summer Games.
Emil Zátopek: the Czech Locomotive
Zátopek won gold in London in 1948, and in Helsinki in 1952 he won the 5,000 metres, the 10,000 metres and the marathon, three events in eight days, in his first marathon. His wife Dana Zátopková won javelin gold on the same day as his 5,000 metres. After 1968 he was punished for backing the Prague Spring reforms and spent years doing menial work.
Věra Čáslavská: gymnast and conscience
Čáslavská won seven Olympic golds in artistic gymnastics. She won in Mexico City weeks after the tanks entered Czechoslovakia in 1968, and she suffered afterwards for signing the Two Thousand Words manifesto. She was respected as much for her principles as for her medals. For that period, read communist Czechoslovakia explained for visitors and the Prague Spring of 1968.
Other names to know
- Jan Železný, javelin: golds in 1992, 1996 and 2000, and silver in 1988.
- Barbora Špotáková, javelin: gold in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
- Kateřina Neumannová: gold in the 30 km cross-country at Turin in 2006.
- The ice hockey team: gold in Nagano in 1998, beating Russia in the final.
Ester Ledecká: two sports, one Games
At the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Ledecká won gold in the alpine super-G, on skis, and in the parallel giant slalom, on a snowboard. Few athletes reach that level in one of the two. In 2022 she won gold again in the snowboard parallel giant slalom.
Hockey, the national religion
Nagano 1998 is hockey's holy text, and the sport still fills Czech arenas every winter. In 2024 the national team beat Switzerland in the World Championship final in Prague. Our guide to ice hockey in Czechia explains the league and how to get a ticket.
Why a small country does so well
Part of the answer is club culture. The Sokol movement, a gymnastics organisation founded in Prague in 1862, spread sport across Czech towns, and its mass displays, the slety, were national events. Local clubs, coaches and competitions outlived its heyday. Javelin in particular has produced a line of champions, from Železný to Špotáková.
Watch and join in
Czech Television is the main Olympic broadcaster, in Czech. To feel the atmosphere, find a pub with a screen during a medal event, since nothing unites a Czech pub faster than a home athlete in a final. If you'd rather play than watch, see sports for expats in Prague, swimming in Prague and the Czech football guide. The Czech Olympic Committee publishes team announcements and athlete profiles ahead of each Games.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the greatest Czech Olympian?
Opinions differ, but Emil Zátopek, with golds in 1948 and three in 1952, and Věra Čáslavská, with seven golds, are the names most often given.
How many medals have Czechs won?
Totals change with each Games and depend on how Czechoslovak results are counted. Use the IOC and the Czech Olympic Committee for current figures.
Did Czechoslovakia compete before the Czech Republic?
Yes. Czechoslovakia competed from 1920 until the split, and Bohemia competed at the early Games. The Czech Republic has competed separately since the 1990s.
Who won Czechia's hockey gold?
The Czech national team won the ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano.
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