The European Athletics Championships are just around the corner. Thanks to the event’s official supplier for technical equipment KARHU, we’ve portrayed the history of the continent’s most important athletic stage.

From the ‘Flying Finns’ to Emil Zátopek. The JOIN THE CHAMPS series allowed us to relive apex moments and endless legends. Because the European tartan has never stopped celebrating some of the brightest personalities of world athletics. And it continues to do so. As we await the first “on your marks” of the upcoming Roman edition, we tell you about the nuances of an athlete, or rather a symbol: Emil Zátopek. The Czechoslovakian middle-distance runner and marathoner nicknamed ‘Locomotive,’ the man who could overcome the limits of his own body and the parameters of athletics itself. The runner who, quite simply, is still one of the most revered icons in sports history. His achievements and words lead us to Rome 2024.

You can find more articles from the JOIN THE CHAMPS series here, and in the coming days you can follow our day-by-day digital updates from the Stadio Olimpico, where we’ll once again partner with KARHU.

“I’m not talented enough to run and smile at the same time.” One sentence defines the humble greatness of a unique athlete. Emil Zátopek was more than a middle-distance runner; he represented the epitome of a human being overcoming his limits and the limits of his species. They called him ‘ the Locomotive’ for his rhythmic stride, accompanied by colorful grunts and grimaces.

Born in Kopřivnice, a small town in Moravia, he discovered running by pure chance at 16 while working for a shoe company. Inspired by legends of the most light-footed Finn, the immortal Paavo Nurmi, he set out to perfect his ungainly stride, making it the most effective in the world. The irrational ascending climax of his performances were the contours of a symphony replete with fatigue and victory, culminating in an impossible treble, never to be repeated or bested. “An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets,” Zátopek stated, “He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.”

And in the Finnish summer of 1952, hope, heart, dreams and head came together to shape one of the most remarkable sporting feats in history. Wearing KARHU, Emil ‘the Terrible’ dominated the Helsinki Games, winning the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, setting new Olympic records in both. But Zátopek didn’t stop there, participating last minute in the most iconic race of the five-ring event, the marathon. The representative of Czechoslovakia had never run – at least during an official race – the 42 kilometers inspired by the ancient exploits of Pheidippides.

Step by step, car by car, ‘the Locomotive’ first hooked onto the world record holder Jim Peters, holding the same pace.  After a quick exchange of banter, Zátopek sped off toward his third, unexpected gold medal and his third (even more shocking) Olympic record. Peters would later recount that, passing their first 15 kilometers together, Zátopek asked how their pace was going. “Too slow,” the Briton answered in jest. So Zátopek simply sped up and never looked back.

“If you want to win something, you can run the 100 meters. If you want to enjoy a true experience, run a marathon.” Zátopek would later be elected Greatest Runner of All Time by popular vote. Those days of sports glory will likely remain unmatched, a legacy of extraordinary physical, mental and character might. A legacy for athletics worldwide.

The 1950 European Championships were the prelude to the most remarkable feat achieved by a runner in the history of sports. In Brussels, Emil Zátopek won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Only two years later, in the Helsinki Olympics, the same man won gold and broke world records in the 5,000, 10,000 meters and Marathon. He also boasts another continental success in the 10,000 meters in Bern 1954.