In his youth, Ján Zachara wanted to be a football player, but he eventually turned to boxing and found much more success. He was considered a contender for the featherweight division at the 1948 London Olympics, but somehow the Czechoslovakian government failed to nominate him. He entered the army in 1950, while also working as a locksmith and studying in University, but still found time to train. His efforts yielded great rewards, as he won the gold medal in the featherweight division at the 1952 Games. This was his only major international victory and, although he returned in 1956 in an attempt to defend his crown, he was defeated in the quarter-finals by Finland’s Pentti Hämäläinen.
Zachara was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant due to his success at the Games and made his final international appearance for Czechoslovakia at the 1959 European Championships, having also competed at that tournament in 1949 and 1955. He never turned to professional boxing, opting instead to pursue a career in various engineering and industrial fields, but he did work for many years as a boxing coach in his homeland. In 1996, he received the Olympic Order in Silver.
Czechoslovakia
Slovakia