Ludvík Daněk

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Olympic rings
athletics
silver 1964 Discus throw
bronze 1968 Discus throw
gold 1972 Discus throw

Ludvík Daněk (born January 6, 1937 in Hořice ; † November 16, 1998 in Hutisko-Solanec ) was a Czechoslovak athlete who was among the world's top discus throwers from 1964 to 1974 . He improved the world record three times and won a total of five medals, including two gold ones, at the Olympic Games and European Championships.

He was in the Czechoslovak national team 49 times and scored 37 victories.

He won a total of 14 Czechoslovak championships from 1963 to 1976. He improved the Czechoslovak record 9 times, most recently in 1974 with a width of 67.18 m.

Because of his stocky figure he was nicknamed "The Brno Block".

Life

Ludvík's father Ladislav, a boiler maker by trade, died of meningitis when Ludvík was barely two weeks old .

Ludvík began his sporting career as a skier. In jumping from the hill he even came second at the South Moravian Youth Championships. However, since his half-brother Jiří was throwing the discus, the desire arose in him to defeat him, which he succeeded two weeks after his first attempt with the round disc.

At the age of 19 he joined ČKD Blansko, where he trained as a metal lathe operator, the “Sparta” sports club. As a soldier in basic military service with the border troops, he managed a throw of 45.27 m, whereupon he moved to the Army Sports Club "Red Star" in Brno. From 1962 he had his main residence in Brno.

Shortly afterwards, not only his sporting but also his professional career seemed to be over. As a passenger on a motorcycle, he suffered a spinal injury and a kidney tear in a serious accident. After a five-month hospital stay, he returned to his profession at the Jan Šverma Works in Brno, against the advice of his doctors. He only practiced discus throwing as a hobby. However, the coach of the sports club "Spartak ZJŠ", which is affiliated to the weapons factory, invited him to a so-called B-training, and it was not long before Ludvík Daněk exceeded the 50-meter mark again. In 1961 he took part in the Czechoslovak championships for the first time and finished eighth.

His first international appearance took place at the European Championships in Belgrade in 1962, where he finished 9th.

In June 1963 he threw for the first time over 60 meters (60.04 m).

He succeeded in reaching the top of the world in 1964. In May he set the European record with 62.45 m and followed in August with his first world record with 64.55 m. In his second world record in 1965, he became the first person on earth to exceed the 65-meter mark.

In 1965 he celebrated 41 wins in 42 competitions and won the American Open Championships in San Diego.

In 1967 and 1969 he won the continental war between Europe and America.

He took part in four Olympic Games and won three medals: 1964 silver in Tokyo, 1968 bronze in Mexico City and 1972 gold in Munich. He achieved the victory distance of 64.40 m in the last attempt. In 1976 he took 9th place. He wasn't quite as successful at the European Championships. He participated 6 times but won only two medals: gold in Helsinki in 1971 and silver in Rome in 1974.

After finishing his sporting career he became a trainer and functionary at "Red Star" Prague. In the 1990s he was Chairman of the Czech Olympic Club and Deputy Chairman of the Czech Athletics Federation.

Tomb

On the morning of November 16, 1998, he was found dead by his neighbor in his home after falling faint while gardening the day before but refusing to see a doctor. Daněk was buried in the Wallachian Cemetery (Valašský Slavin) in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm .

Ludvík Daněk's wife Jarka died in 1986. The marriage resulted in a son (Martin).

successes

Championship title

  • 1963: 60.00 m
  • 1964: 59.70 m
  • 1965: 60.60 m
  • 1966: 59.50 m
  • 1967: 62.08 m
  • 1968: 60.68 m
  • 1969: 61.86 m
  • 1970: 61.78 m
  • 1971: 61.82 m
  • 1972: 61.36 m
  • 1973: 60.94 m
  • 1974: 61.58 m
  • 1975: 64.66 m
  • 1976: 59.96 m

Records

  • 60.97 m (ER)
  • 62.45 m on May 10, 1964 in Vyškov (ER)
  • 64.55 m on August 2, 1964 in Turnov (WR, improvement of Al Oerter's four-month-old best by 1.61 m)
  • 65.22 m (WR) on October 12, 1965 in Sokolov . He achieved this performance in front of only 300 spectators in the fifth attempt. The reweighing showed that the disc was even 15 grams too heavy.
  • 66.07 m (WR) on June 7, 1966 in Long Beach (improved to 66.54 m by Jay Silvester two years later)
  • 66.48 m (ER) on June 8, 1969 in Long Beach

European championships

  • 1962 in Belgrade : ninth
  • 1966 in Budapest : fifth with 56.25 m. In 1966 Daněk had thrown more than 100 times over 60 meters and was therefore a favorite for the European Championships. There he failed completely, which was all the more annoying for him when the winner, Detlef Thorith from the GDR, also only achieved a modest 57.42 m.
  • 1969 in Athens : fourth with 59.30 m. The situation in Budapest was repeated here: Daněk was beaten below value, although the victorious Hartmut Losch from the GDR with 61.82 m also did not achieve an outstanding distance. If the rules were strictly interpreted, Daněk would have finished third, as the silver medalist Ricky Bruch from Sweden had three invalid throws in qualification and therefore should not have been allowed to take part in the preliminary competition; the Greek judges, however, let mercy go ahead.
  • 1971 in Helsinki : Gold with 63.90 m ahead of Lothar Milde (GDR) with 61.62 m and Géza Fejér (Hungary) with 61.54 m
  • 1974 in Rome : Silver with 62.76 m behind Pentti Kahma from Finland with 63.62 m and in front of Ricky Bruch (Sweden) with 62.00 m

Olympic games

Honors

  • 1965 and 1972: Ludvík Daněk is named Czechoslovak Sportsman of the Year.
  • 1995: Ludvík Daněk receives the Olympic medal from Juan Antonio Samaranch .
  • May 1995: Ludvík Daněk is made an honorary citizen of Blansko .
  • 1998: Ludvík Daněk is awarded the Fair Play Prize.
  • 1999: Turnov Stadium is named after him.
  • September 20, 2003: A memorial plaque is placed on the house where he was born.

In Turnov is held every year a Ludvik Danek Memorial Sports Festival.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Daněk, Ludvík
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech athlete ( discus thrower )
DATE OF BIRTH January 6, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Hořice (Blansko) , South Moravia
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 1998
Place of death Hutisko-Solanec (Horní Bečva)