Jan Korejs

Prior to World War II Jan Korejs was the best pole vaulter in Czechoslovakia, setting three national records and becoming the first Czechoslovak athlete to clear four metres. Korejs was a two-time national champion in the event, winning back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics he tied for sixth with 10 other athletes who all cleared four metres. During his time as an athlete he graduated from the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University in 1932 and began work as a lawyer.

In February 1948 the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia took over control of the government in the country in a coup d’état. As a result of this Korejs began to help smuggle Czechoslovak people across the border to escape into Austria. On 6 August 1949 he was arrested by the State Security and interrogated. He died just two days later in unclear circumstances, with the official report at the time stating that he had died by suicide by hanging. Korejs was then buried under a false name in a grave in Brno, with his family not being informed of his fate for another two weeks. In 2004 a street in the district of Brno-Žebětín was named after him.

Personal Best: PV – 4.01 (1930).