One of the greatest long-distance runners of the 20th century, Emil Zatopek shot to great fame with his three gold medal victories at the Summer Olympics in Helsinki in 1952. Proclaimed as the ‘Greatest Runner of All Time’ by the Runner's World Magazine, Zatopek is known for his hard working nature and tough and challenging training methods. He is known to have pushed himself through grueling and strenuous training routines in order to get the best out of himself. This legendary runner was nicknamed ‘Czech Locomotive’ and ‘Bouncing Czech’ for his extraordinary abilities to perform consistently on the track. He set a total of eighteen world records in various long distance running competitions, including 500 meter and 30000 meter races. He has won a total of four Olympic gold medals and a silver medal. He was the first athlete to run the 10 km race in a time span of under 29 minutes and ran 20 km race within an hour. He is also known for his unique and distinctive running style, facial expressions on the track and his posture. To learn more interesting facts about his childhood, personal life and professional achievements, scroll down and continue to read this biography.