Věra Čáslavská was the most successful Czech female athlete of all time; her record for the number of gold medals has yet to be surpassed by any Olympic gymnast. She also became an icon of courage and resilience. The Czech Mint pays tribute to her with this silver coin.

The ambitious blonde Věra Čáslavská displayed extraordinary athletic talent from childhood—first in ballet, then in figure skating, and finally in gymnastics, which she completely mastered. Over the course of her gymnastics career, she won 140 medals, including 11 at the Olympic Games. She won one silver medal in Rome in 1960, three gold and one silver in Tokyo in 1964, and four gold and two silver in Mexico City in 1968. She entered the Olympic competition in Mexico as the adored “queen of gymnastics” from the previous Games in Japan, but her joy in the sport was marred by gloomy thoughts. After all, only two months had passed since the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. Nevertheless, she racked up one success after another, and when she stood on the podium next to her Soviet rival, she decided to seize the opportunity to restore her nation’s pride. In a silent yet eloquent protest against military aggression, she averted her gaze from the Soviet flag and became a heroine. That same year, Věra Čáslavská was named the world’s best female athlete, but the communist regime did not forget her defiant gesture. At the height of her fame, she was forced to end her career…

Medal designer MgA.Martin Dašek dedicated the reverse side of the coin to a faithful portrait of the graceful gymnast with her characteristic smile and hairstyle. The composition is completed by the inscription VĚRA ČÁSLAVSKÁ, and a segment of the Olympic rings is depicted in the background behind the portrait. The obverse side, which commemorates Věra Čáslavská’s success at the Tokyo Olympics, is adorned with a flock of origami cranes. Since the coins of the Czech Mint are issued under a foreign license from the island of Niue, the obverse also bears its national coat of arms, the nominal value of 5 DOLLARS (NZD), and the year of issue 2026.

The commemorative coin, minted from two troy ounces of pure silver, is issued in a limited mintage of 600 pieces. An integral part of each coin is a commemorative certificate - that is, a commemorative certificate in the form of a banknote produced by the State Printing Office.