Václav Chudomel (27 September 1932 – 15 December 2016) was a Czech long-distance runner who competed for Czechoslovakia. He specialized in the marathon and represented his country at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Life and Career
Chudomel was born in Paběnice, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). He began competitive running later in life, after completing military service, starting on middle-distance and cross-country events before transitioning to longer distances. He ran his first marathon at age 29 in 1961 in Úpice, winning with a time of 2:19:15.8.
He set two Czechoslovak national records in the marathon: 2:18:02.6 at the Košice Peace Marathon in 1963 (third place), and his personal best of 2:15:26 at the Polytechnic Harriers Marathon in London on 13 June 1964 (third place), which ranked as the eighth fastest marathon in the world at the time. His national record stood for 11 years.
At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Chudomel finished 18th in the marathon with a time of 2:24:46.8. The race was won by Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia. Chudomel also competed at the European Athletics Championships in 1962 (Belgrade, 10th in marathon) and 1966 (Budapest, 18th in marathon).
He won the Košice Peace Marathon in 1969 (2:26:28) and was Czechoslovak national champion in the marathon four times (1963, 1966, 1968, 1969). He also won the Enschede Marathon in 1963 and was a two-time winner of the Velká kunratická cross-country race.
Chudomel worked as a pastry chef (cukrář) throughout his athletic career, training before and after work. He was associated with the club Bohemians Praha. He continued running recreationally well into old age. He died on 15 December 2016 at age 84 in Benešov.
Personal Bests
- Marathon: 2:15:26 (1964, London)
Major Championships Results
- 1964 Summer Olympics (Tokyo): Marathon — 18th place (2:24:46.8)
- 1962 European Championships (Belgrade): Marathon — 10th place (2:30:33.0)
- 1966 European Championships (Budapest): Marathon — 18th place (2:30:34.2)
