LГda MerlГnovГЎ | Photo: University of Southampton, Wikimedia Commons, Fair UseДuring the games, a British journalist wrote that some women competing there appeared вЂњbetter suited to trousers than skirtsвЂќ, mentioning Zdena KoubkovГЎ and a Slovak athlete, Е tefanie PekarovГЎ, who in fact also changed gender three years later. That August, she won the 800-metre event at the 1934 Women's World Games, in a new world record time of 2:12.4 and finished third in the long jump with a national record of 5.70 metres. ZdenaвЂ™s next world record came in the medley relay (2Г—100 metres, 200 metres and 800 metres), at 3:14.4. (The current womenвЂ™s world record, as it happens, was also set half a century later by a Czech woman вЂ“ Jarmila KratochvГlovГЎ вЂ“ clocking in at 1:53.28). That June, she set her first world record, in the 800-metre dash with a time of 2:16.4. In 1934, Zdena KoubkovГЎ won five national titles, in the 100-, 200- and 800-metre races, as well as in high jump and long jump. I could only find a few people who knew her (as a woman) in the 1930s.вЂќ So, I started searching through athletic journalists of the era and in archival books, encyclopaedias. вЂњShe changed gender and just disappeared from the scene. Suddenly, I came across her name and found that this woman had set two world records in 1934 вЂ“ and then disappeared! So, I was flipping through the various record books.

The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney were approaching, and I was preparing an article on the history of the Olympics. Pavel KovГЎЕ™ | Photo: Jan SklenГЎЕ™, Czech Radio

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