How it unfolded
Weeks before Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia, Caslavska had signed the reform-supporting 'Two Thousand Words' manifesto; after the invasion she hid in the mountains of Moravia, training by hanging from tree branches and running through floor routines in a meadow. After recovering her passport she arrived in Mexico City and won the all-around, vault and uneven bars, and tied for gold on floor with the Soviet Union's Larisa Petrik. On beam she finished second to the Soviet Union's Natalia Kuchinskaya, and the crowd jeered the judging in both events. On the podium, Caslavska bowed her head and turned it away during the Soviet national anthem. That gesture, lasting only seconds, became the Games' single biggest political moment. She married track athlete Josef Odlozil in Mexico City during the Games, and after returning home she refused to retract the manifesto, losing both her right to travel abroad and her competitive eligibility for years, and supported herself for a long stretch by working as a cleaner. Her career Olympic total stands at seven gold and four silver medals.
Why it still matters
The most famous act of political defiance in gymnastics history, and an event that forced the sport to acknowledge that judging could never be fully separated from international politics. Caslavska was also the only gymnast to win the all-around twice during the Soviet women's team dynasty. Until Simone Biles, she was the only woman in modern gymnastics to win back-to-back Olympic all-around titles.