"France just crossed the finish line and we are about to start. There were steep hills towards the end, but France managed with elegance which I admire. We will be following," said Czech Ambassador to the EU Edita Hrdá at the opening ceremony. She took over the presidential baton from her French colleague Philippe Leglis-Costa just before the race.

Ambassador Jaroslav Zajíček attended the race together with his French counterpart Ambassador Fabrice Dubreuil. "When we could not go anymore, we remembered Zátopek and we just sped up," commented Ambassador Zajíček after the race.

Many spectators also showed up at the stadium where Zátopek broke the record in the 10km race in 1954. Over one hundred children took part in a special 400m race. 

The main race was started by Olympian runner Jarmila Kratochvílová and actors Václav Neužil and Martha Issová. This duo played the roles of Emil Zátopek and Dana Zátopková in the film Zátopek, which had its Belgian premiere the same evening at the Bozar cultural centre in Brussels. The film kicked off the "Focus on Czechia" series, during which several other screenings and concerts by Czech artists will take place in Brussels in the coming months. Brussels audiences can look forward to films like Havel and Shadow Country as well as several classical music concerts.

You can watch a video from the Zátopek run on our social media. See also the full programme of cultural events taking place in Brussels during the Czech Presidency. Find complete results of the race here.