VĚRA 68 – UPS AND DOWNS

The film about Věra Čáslavská is an evaluation of her life. With her seven gold and four silver Olympic medals, she represents the most successful Czechoslovak sportswoman of all time as well as the fourth most successful Olympic sportswoman of the world. After her breathtaking victory at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City in 1968, she was pronounced the second most popular woman of the planet after Jacqueline Kennedy. In 1968, she signed the 2000 Words Manifesto which she never withdrew. Despite her enormous fame, which she deserved for her incredibly hard work and endurance, she lived a troubled life (political situation during normalization, marriage, family tragedy). Her unique life story reflects the situation in the Czech society, both in the communist and democratic regime. In both cases, she was active in the civil sphere. She considers her sporting past as a few moments of fame which can hardly make up for her troublesome life. Today, Věra is 68 years old. 42 years have passed since her fascinating sports career. She is still widely known in the Czech society as well as in Japan where she still earns fidelity and admiration. Her life story represents a unique phenomenon in the history of the Czech nation.