Ota Zaremba

Ota Zaremba initially trained to be a locksmith before his older brother took him to the local weightlifting club, with him eventually becoming both a World and Olympic champion. In 1979 Zaremba won silver in the -100 kg snatch at the World Weightlifting Championships. One year later he represented Czechoslovakia at the Moskva Olympics, where he became the surprise gold medallist, lifting 395.0 kg in the heavyweight I class, setting an Olympic record in the process. The Games also doubled as the World Championships, with Zaremba winning gold in both the snatch and total lift, along with silver in the clean & jerk. For his performance he was named as the Czechoslovak Athlete of the Year. Four years later he won bronze in the -100 kg snatch at the European Weightlifting Championships in Spain.

Zaremba’s career ended early due to ongoing injuries and the possibility that he would need extensive knee surgery if he continued. He later admitted to doping during his career but insisted that he did not use any banned substances at the Olympics. In 1996 he was involved in a serious car accident, resulting in him being unable to do any manual work. To help his financial problems, Zaremba was forced to sell his Olympic medal. He then entered politics, joining the far-right Workers’ Party of Social Justice, later standing in the 2019 European Parliament elections.