Karel Mejta, Sr.

Karel Mejta began rowing on the pond in Třeboň during World War II, alongside his younger brother, Miroslav. He helped Czechoslovakia win the 1951 European Championship and then won the 1952 Olympic gold medal in an upset over the favored Swiss, United States, and British crews. Mejta later served in the military in Bohemia. He eventually bought the rowing boathouse in Třeboň and his son, Karel, Jr., won silver and bronze medals at the 1977 and 1978 World Rowing Championships.