Sporting Witness - The Czech Gymnast Who Defied The Soviet Union
Download The Czech Gymnast Who Defied The Soviet Union
At the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, the great Czechoslovak gymnast Vera Caslavska staged a protest that made almost as many headlines at the time as the now much better-known "Black Power Salute". To make a stand against Moscow's crushing of the Prague Spring, Caslavska turned her head away on the podium as the Soviet anthem was played. The gymnast paid a heavy price - spending the rest of her life in menial jobs and suffering from depression. Tom Reynolds talks to Caslavska's friend, British competitor Mary Prestidge.
PHOTO: Vera Caslavska with her Olympic medals (Getty Images)
Published on Saturday, 20th October 2018.
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