Josef Odložil
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| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | |||
| Silver | 1964 Tokyo | 1500m | |
Josef Odložil, (Nov 11, 1938, Otrokovice - Sep 10, 1993, Domašov), was a Czech middle distance runner. He was a national champion many times in the 1960's, but had mixed success at the international level.
At his first ever major competition, the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade, Odložil was eliminated in the 800 metres semi-final. Two years later he decided to try at the 1500 metres, bringing himself fame at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The 1500 m final in Tokyo was won easily by Peter Snell from New Zealand. Josef Odložil managed to run for silver in the same time as Snell's compatriot John Davies, who reached bronze. In 1965 Josef Odložil set a world record on 2000 m (5:01,2).
The 1966 European Championships were disastrous for Odložil, where he ended in the heats. He did better again at the European Indoor Championships in Prague, taking silver at the 1500 m.
The wedding at the Mexico 1968 Summer Olympics of Josef Odložil and Věra Čáslavská, the Czechoslovak 7 fold Olympic Champion in gymnastics, attracted the attention of many people. Unfortunately, the couple got divorced a couple of years later, and tragedy struck when their son, Martin, murdered his father Josef in 1993.
Josef Odložil was assassinated at the age of 55. Since 1993 a Josefa Odlozila Memorial meet takes place in Prague in order to remember the athlete.
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Her life seemingly "on track" once again, it was not long before Caslavska faced a new kind of turmoil. Her son, Martin Odlozil, was convicted of the murder of his father (Caslavska's husband), Josef Odlozil. Martin allegedly punched Josef, causing him to fall to the floor and strike his head. In 1997 however, the German press agency reported that Czech President Vaclav Havel pardoned Martin following a campaign by Czech citizens and former Olympians.
