CZECHOSLOVAK athlete Emil Zatopek enjoyed an impressive career as a long-distance runner during the 1940s and ’50s.

He became a national hero and represented his country as a star athlete at the Olympics and various other international championships.

Nicknamed the “Czech Locomotive,” Zatopek is still the only runner in history to have won three gold medals across three long-distance races at the same Olympic games, accomplishing this unique feat at the 1952 Helsinki summer games.

Some consider him to be the greatest long-distance runner in history.

The graphic novel Zatopek: When You Can’t Keep Going, Go Faster! recounts the athlete’s life from childhood through to his stunning victory at the 1952 Olympic Games, where his wife and fellow athlete Dana Ingrova also gained a gold medal.

The book describes a number of amusing experiences that occurred during Zatopek’s life and gives an insight into his unorthodox training regimen and quirky personality.

His resolve was not limited to his desire for success. He stood up for fellow athlete and protege Stanislav Jungwirth who was to be excluded from the 1952 Czechoslovak Olympic team on political grounds.

Zatopek audaciously challenged the communist authorities who conceded and allowed Jungwirth to represent his nation.

With an absorbing and upbeat narrative, the book is an easy-to-read story of a remarkable athlete and inspiring individual.