(Reuters) - When Vera Caslavska bowed her head and turned away in protest at the Soviet anthem during the 1968 Olympics, the Czech gymnast cemented her place as not only one of the country's greatest athletes but also as a powerful voice against Communist rule.
Two months after Warsaw Pact tanks swept into Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" reforms, the anti-Soviet icon dazzled at the Mexico Games, claiming four golds and becoming one of only two women to win successive titles in the all-around competition.
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