The hero of Helsinki At the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, a Czech runner called Emil Zatopek achieved the impossible. He won gold medals in the 5km and 10km races, but it was his third gold that stunned the spectators in the Olympic Stadium. Zatopek was a slight figure - only 1.7 metres tall and weighing just 63.5 kilograms (145 lbs) - but he was nicknamed 'The Locomotive' because he sped along the running track like a train. Zatopek decided to enter the Helsinki marathon only at the last minute. He had never run a marathon before and because of a recent illness a doctor had advised him not to take part in such a long and difficult race. Nevertheless, 'The Locomotive' entered the marathon and won by an amazing two and a half minutes. Zatopek is the only runner to win the 5km, 10km and the marathon in the same Olympics, setting new records in all three races. Questions 1) The verb 'to stun' means ........ a. to please b. to shock 2) To 'speed along' means ...... a. to make a noise like a train b. to move very quickly The first female winner Women did not have an Olympic marathon until the event was finally introduced at the Los Angeles Games. Fifty runners from 28 countries set off at 8 o'clock on August 5, 1984 to race through the city streets to the LA Coliseum. The two favourites were Grete Waitz from Norway, who had never lost any of the previous marathons she had entered, and Rosa Mota from Portugal, who had won the European Championships marathon in 1982. The world record holder, American Joan Benoit, had undergone recent knee surgery and lacked confidence. But, 14 minutes into the race, Benoit took the lead. Was this a good move so early? Benoit continued to increase her pace and after 19 miles was two minutes ahead of the next runner. Benoit just kept on running, crossing the finish line in two hours, 24 minutes, 52 seconds and winning a place in history as the first woman to win an Olympic marathon. Questions 3) What adjective in the text means 'coming before this one'? 4) Something that is 'Norwegian' comes from which country? True bravery on the track We saw real Olympic bravery on the track at the LA Coliseum in 1984. Swiss runner Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss knew that the marathon had been won, but this did not stop her carrying on. Andersen-Scheiss came into the stadium suffering from heat exhaustion. She almost crawled onto the track, her body bent in pain. Her hand waved away medical help knowing she would be disqualified if a doctor helped her. For six agonising minutes, Anderson-Scheiss staggered towards the finish, sometimes stopping and holding her aching head. The brave runner finally collapsed with exhaustion just over the finish line. Doctors rushed forward to attend to her. Andersen-Scheiss finished the race in 37th place, and she had achieved what she had come to Los Angeles for. She had finished the first women's marathon with honour. 5) What is the opposite of 'bravery'? a. strength b. cowardice 6) What is the meaning of 'disqualify'? a. to remove someone from a competition because they have broken the rules b. to congratulate someone when they have won a competition Olympic fact file Are the following two statements about the Olympic marathon true or false? 1) Some slow runners in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic marathon were persuaded to drop out because the police wanted to reopen the roads to traffic. 2) The 1960 marathon winner, Abebe Bikila from Ethiopia, ran the entire race barefoot. Answers 1. b, 2. b, 3. previous, 4. Norway, 5. b, 6. a Olympic fact file: true, true