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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARThe story of the greatest long-distance athlete in history - a tale of running, redemption and political exile.In the summer of 1952 Emil Zátopek became the king of the running world with an unprecedented distance treble at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. Together with his wife Dana, who won another gold medal in the javelin, they were the embodiment of sporting romance. Born on the same day, they were champions on the same day too.
Yet in 1968 this affable but eccentric Czech soldier was betrayed by his Communist paymasters and cast out into wilderness. Hidden from world view, monitored by the secret police and forced to live in a caravan in mining country, he became the invisible hero.
Endurance is the first biography to document the remarkable rise, fall and rehabilitation of a man voted the 'greatest runner of all time' by
Runner's World.
It is also the story of a golden age of sport played out against a backdrop of Cold War politics and paranoia. From the London Olympics of 1948 to Czech concentration camps, this is an uplifting and harrowing story of survival. As Emil rises to global fame, his old coach is locked up and tortured by StB henchmen. Their diverging paths expose the fickleness of popularity and eventually cross again when Zátopek's world is torn asunder. All both men can do is endure.
Due to extensive access to those involved, including Dana herself, Broadbent has written a vivid history involving blood and guns and a love that survived the cruellest twists of fate. From heady nights at White City to the brave resistance during the Prague Spring, this is a book that plants the son of a carpenter at the very centre of a revolution. Whether talking to his rivals on the track or Red Army troops as tanks roll into Prague, Zátopek's humanity shines through and carries all.
About the author
Rick Broadbent is an award-winning journalist and author. He has been staff writer at
The Times for 15 years and spent 2007-13 as the paper's athletics correspondent. He has written eight books, including
That Near-Death Thing and
Ring of Fire, both shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. He was also the ghostwriter of Jessica Ennis's bestselling autobiography. He lives in Dorset. @ricktimes
Summary
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
The story of the greatest long-distance athlete in history - a tale of running, redemption and political exile.
In the summer of 1952 Emil Zátopek became the king of the running world with an unprecedented distance treble at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. Together with his wife Dana, who won another gold medal in the javelin, they were the embodiment of sporting romance. Born on the same day, they were champions on the same day too.
Yet in 1968 this affable but eccentric Czech soldier was betrayed by his Communist paymasters and cast out into wilderness. Hidden from world view, monitored by the secret police and forced to live in a caravan in mining country, he became the invisible hero.
Endurance is the first biography to document the remarkable rise, fall and rehabilitation of a man voted the 'greatest runner of all time' by Runner's World.
It is also the story of a golden age of sport played out against a backdrop of Cold War politics and paranoia. From the London Olympics of 1948 to Czech concentration camps, this is an uplifting and harrowing story of survival. As Emil rises to global fame, his old coach is locked up and tortured by StB henchmen. Their diverging paths expose the fickleness of popularity and eventually cross again when Zátopek's world is torn asunder. All both men can do is endure.
Due to extensive access to those involved, including Dana herself, Broadbent has written a vivid history involving blood and guns and a love that survived the cruellest twists of fate. From heady nights at White City to the brave resistance during the Prague Spring, this is a book that plants the son of a carpenter at the very centre of a revolution. Whether talking to his rivals on the track or Red Army troops as tanks roll into Prague, Zátopek's humanity shines through and carries all.
Foreword
The story of the greatest long-distance athlete in history - a tale of running, redemption and political exile
Additional text
Rather than focus solely on Zátopek's life, Broadbent spends many pages writing about the men Zátopek's life touched. It's an approach that works splendidly . [It] gives the reader a better sense of Zátopek's place in the world
