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The immortal runner was also a linguist. He was at home in German, French, English and Czechoslovakian. He felt that if he could speak to others in their own native tongues, then they would get more joy and enthusiasm. In the dressing room, Emil Zatopek would greet his opponents warmly. "Comment ca va? ... Wie geht's? ... How goes it?" Others sometimes did not greet him because of fear or nervousness. They did not want to lose their power of concentration. Zatopek was also nervous to some extent, but he had strength in his inner life, so he felt even if he had lost the race he would not feel miserable. He worked hard; that was his satisfaction. He had confidence in his ability; that was his satisfaction.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Emil Zatopek: earth's tearing cry and Heaven's beaming smile, Agni Press, 1980
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ez