By Brian Pinelli

For The Post

Amid the throngs of tourists working their way across Charles Bridge, Olga Fikotová strode with a curiosity unlike that of anyone around her. Rightfully so, because the 74-year-old was in the midst of a joyous homecoming, one that she wasn't sure would ever happen.

Fifty years prior, Fikotová captured her nation's attention by winning the gold medal in the discus at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. But she caught international headlines for her romance with American hammer thrower Harold Connolly. Shortly after becoming the pride of Czechoslovakia, Fikotová married Connolly and left Prague for good.

"My emotions are high," Fikotová said at the event. "I'm overwhelmed to tears. I think it's extremely gracious, and I'm very happy and kind of refreshed."

Stole the show

Heading into the '56 Games, few Czechoslovaks paid attention to the pharmaceutical student and two-time national discus champion. All eyes were on four-time gold medal distance runner Emil Zátopek.

But, soon, political turmoil, and later Fikotová, took center stage. The United Kingdom and France had recently taken control of the Suez Canal after Israel attacked Egypt, triggering the Olympic boycotts by Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. Less than three weeks prior to the games, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, prompting The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland to withdraw.

The Liberec native captured gold and set an Olympic record with her 176-foot-1-inch (53.7-meter) discus toss. The victory over a pair of women from the USSR proved sweet for the citizens of a Soviet satellite state. Just one day later, the American Connolly would also break an Olympic record and attain gold in the hammer throw.

While Fikotová and Connolly had met at previous international competitions, their love took root during the games.

"It was a normal thing when you can go to any track meet or any event where there will be people from a variety of corners of the world who find the sameness in their ideals, like each other and have a good chemistry," Fikotová said.

But at that time the Cold War was at its height, and communist officials tried to dissuade her from pursuing Connolly.

"They were just scared that something terrible was going to happen because I was dating this American, and they started to more aggressively reprimand me," Fikotová said.

Despite objections, the romance would continue. After the games, Connolly came to Prague, and the gold medalists applied to the Czechoslovak government for marriage.

"It was unheard of at that time, and the government didn't know what to do with it," she recalled. "They rather unpleasantly told me what they thought about being a traitor."

Departure

The government would ultimately approve the marriage, as well as Fikotová's emigration to the United States. Nearly 30,000 people came to see the wedding at Old Town Hall in Prague.

Settling in Southern California, Fikotová continued her track and field career as a U.S. citizen, winning five national titles and representing her adopted country at four Olympic Games. Connolly and Fikotová had four children together.

But her proudest moment would come at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, when she was chosen to carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony.

"I believe in a democracy that the flag belongs to everybody, so I felt like I was representing every person in the United States," she said. "It meant a lot."

Fikotová spent her first visit to Prague in more than half a century visiting her old school, giving a few public speeches and watching a Czech Television documentary about her life.

Still as energetic as ever at age 74, Fikotová stays busy at her home in Newport Beach, California, teaching conservation awareness, working part time selling outdoor recreation equipment and instructing fitness classes.

She is pulling for Prague in any future bid to host the Olympics, if for anything because it had such an impact on her life.