Emil Zátopek: He Ran His First Marathon at the Olympics… and Won
Emil Zátopek trained in heavy army boots, even in the snow. At the 1952 Olympics he won the 10,000 m, the 5,000 m — and then his first marathon ever. Learn five A2 words and how to use even with the true story of Emil Zátopek.
Coming 26 November 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
He had never run a .
His first one was at the Olympics.
This is the story of Emil Zátopek.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. An is a big group of soldiers.
He joined the .
. To means to practise for a sport.
He very hard.
. means not easy to lift.
His were .
. A is a big, strong shoe.
He ran in .
. A is a very long race, about 42 kilometres.
He had never run a .
Now, one pattern: even.
We use it for a surprise.
He every day.
He every day, even in the snow.
Ready? Let's begin.
Emil was born in Czechoslovakia in 1922.
His factory made him run in a race.
He did not want to, but only one runner was faster!
After the war, he joined the .
He very hard.
He every day, even in the snow.
He ran in .
His were !
In 1952, at the Olympics in Helsinki, he won the 10,000 metres.
Four days later, he won the 5,000 metres too!
That same day, his wife Dana won a gold medal in the javelin.
And they were born on the same day!
Then came the .
He had never run a .
Could he win?
He ran next to Jim Peters, the favourite.
Emil asked Peters if the pace was OK.
Peters said it was too slow.
So Emil ran faster.
He won, and the crowd shouted his name!
He is still the only runner to win all three races at one Olympics.
Years later, he even gave one of his gold medals to another runner!
Let's review. He joined the .
He very hard.
His were .
He ran in .
He had never run a .
And remember: he every day, even in the snow.
Emil Zátopek's story teaches us: hard work can take you further than you think.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
army noun
a big group of soldiers who fight for a country
“He joined the army.”
train verb
to practise for a sport
“He trained very hard.”
heavy adjective
not easy to lift
“His army boots were heavy.”
boot noun
a big, strong shoe that covers the ankle
“He ran in army boots.”
marathon noun
a very long race, about 42 kilometres
“He had never run a marathon.”
lap noun
one time around a running track
“In training, he ran lap after lap.”
sweat verb
to get wet on your skin because you are hot or working hard
“He sweated in the hot sun.”
record-breaker noun
a person who does something better or faster than anyone before
“He was a record-breaker: he set 18 world records.”
Grammar in the story
even + word or phrase
We use it for: to show that something is surprising
- He trained every day, even in the snow.
- He even gave one of his gold medals to another runner.
From the story
- He trained every day, even in the snow.
- He even gave one of his gold medals to another runner.
Find it in the story 4 times
Your turn
He trained every day, in the snow.
He gave one of his gold medals to another runner.
We use even for something .
Step 4
Story Challenge
8 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
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Take it further
Before you watch: What is the longest race you have ever run or walked? How did you feel?
After you watch: Write three sentences with even. For example: My grandfather walks every day, even in the rain. She studies English even on holiday. He even eats ice cream in winter!
Think about it: Emil gave one of his gold medals to another runner. Why do you think he did that? Would you do it?
