1948 London Olympic Highlights
The tragedy of WWII interrupted the 1940 and 1944 Olympics. Hundreds of thousands of Hungarians died or fled the country, many of them great athletes. Despite these challenges, Hungary won 15 Gold, 27 Silver, and 22 bronze. Gyula (Július) Torma won boxing Gold for "Czechoslovakia." His parents lived across the artificial borders created after the annexation of Northern Hungary following WWI and the Treaty of Trianon.
- Legendary Boxer Laszlo Papp wins first of his historic 3 Consecutive Golds!
- Hungarian Fencers repeat their mastery!
- Gerevich Aladár continues his Fencing mastery, earning another Gold!
- Fencer Elek Ilona wins 2nd Consecutive
Gold Medals!
- Men's Swimming Team take Silver
- Deszo Gyarmati and Men's Waterpolo
Team medal again,
taking Silver
Medal |
Name |
Event |
|
Gerevich Aladár |
Individual Fencing / vívás kard egyéni |
|
Elek Ilona |
Individual Fencing / vívás tőr egyéni |
|
Gerevich Aladár (Gerei Aladár) |
Team Fencing / vívás kard csapat |
|
Berczelly Tibor |
Team Fencing / vívás kard csapat |
|
Kárpáti Rudolf |
Team Fencing / vívás kard csapat |
|
Kovács Pál Ádám |
Team Fencing / vívás kard csapat |
|
Papp Bertalan |
Team Fencing / vívás kard csapat |
|
Rajcsányi László |
Team Fencing / vívás kard csapat |
|
Papp László |
Boxing / ökölvívás középsúly 73 kg |
|
Gyarmati Olga |
Long Jump / távolugrás |
|
Németh Imre (His son would win Gold in 1976!) |
Hammerthrow / kalapácsvetés WORLD RECORD |
|
Csík Tibor |
Boxing / ökölvívás harmatsúly 54kg |
|
Takács Károly |
25m rapid fire pistol / gyorstűzelő pisztoly |
|
Pataki Ferenc |
Gymnastics Floor / műszabadgyakorlat |
|
Bóbis Gyula |
Wrestling / birkózás szabadfogás 87 kg |
|
Torma Gyula (Július) |
Boxing: Welterweight (Competing for Czechoslovakia)  |
|
Balázs Erzsébet |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Fehér Anna |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Karcsics Irén |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Köteles Erzsébet |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Kövi Mária |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Nagy Margit |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Tass Olga |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Weckinger Edit (Vásárhelyi Edit) |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Brandi Jenő |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Csuvik Oszkár |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Fábián Dezső |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Gyarmati Dezső |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Győrfi Endre |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Holop Miklós |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Jeney László |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Lemhényi Dezső (Kollmann Dezső) |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Pók Pál |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Szittya Károly |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Szívós István |
Team Waterpolo / vizilabda csapat |
|
Szilvásy Miklós |
Boxing / birkózás kötöttfogás 73 kg |
|
Kádas Géza |
Swimming freestyle relay / 4x200 m gyors |
|
Mitró György |
Swimming freestyle relay / 4x200 m gyors |
|
Nyéki Imre |
Swimming freestyle relay / 4x200 m gyors |
|
Szathmáry Elemér |
Swimming freestyle relay / 4x200 m gyors |
|
Mogyorósi-Klencs János |
Gymnastics Floor / műszabadgyakorlat |
|
Kékesy Andrea |
Figure Skating - pairs / műkorcsolya páros |
|
Király Ede |
Figure Skating - pairs / műkorcsolya páros |
|
Kovács Pál |
Individual Fencing / vívás kard egyéni |
|
Maszlay Lajos |
Individual Fencing / vívás tőr egyéni |
|
Mogyorósi-Klencs János |
Pommel Horse / lóugrása |
|
Pataki Ferenc |
Pommel Horse / lóugrása |
|
Novák Éva |
Swimming breastroke / úszás 200m mell |
|
Kádas Géza |
Swimming freestyle / úszás gyors 100m |
|
Mitró György |
Swimming freestyle / úszás gyors 1500m |
|
Tóth Ferenc |
Wrestling / birkózás kötöttfogás 62 kg |
|
Ferencz Károly |
Wrestling / birkózás kötöttfogás 67 kg |
|
Szendrey Antal |
Rowing 2 / evezés kettes |
|
Zimonyi Róbert |
Rowing 2 / evezés kettes |
|
Zsitnik Béla |
Rowing 2 / evezés kettes |
|
Baranyai László |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Fekete József |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Mogyorósi-Klencs János |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Mogyoróssy Győző |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Pataki Ferenc |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Sántha Lajos dr |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Tóth Lajos |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Várkői Ferenc |
Team Gymnastics / torna összetett csapat |
|
Várszegi József |
Javelin / gerelyhajítás |
|
Földes Éva dr. |
Literature Epic Novel / művészet irodalom |
Search all
1948 medalists (in Hungarian)
|
 Featured
1948 Olympians
 Featured
Olympian,
Karoly Takacs:
(b. Budapest, 1/21/1910, d. 1/5/1976)
The
Right-Handed Shooter Who Won With His Left Hand...this "handicapped" Olympian would become the first repeat Gold Medal winner of the rapid-fire pistol event! Karoly Takacs was a member of the Hungarian pistol
shooting team in 1938 when, while serving as a sergeant in
the army, a defective grenade exploded in his right
hand - his pistol hand - and shattered it completely.
After spending a month in the hospital, Takacs
secretly taught himself to shoot with his left hand.
 The following year he won the Hungarian pistol shooting
championship and was a member of the Hungarian team that
won the automatic pistol event at the world championships.
The next two Olympics, in 1940 and 1944, were cancelled
because of war, but in 1948 Takacs qualified for the
Hungarian Olympic team in the rapid-fire pistol event. He
was 38 years old. Before the competition, the favorite,
world champion and world record holder, Carlos Enrique Díaz
Saenz Valiente, asked Takacs why he was in London. Takacs
replied, "I'm here to learn." Takacs won the
gold medal and beat the world record by ten points. During
the medal ceremony, Díaz Saenz Valiente, who finished
second, turned to Takacs and said, "You have learned
enough." Four years later in Helsinki, Takács
successfully defended his Olympic title to become the
first repeat winner of the rapid-fire pistol event.
Hungary, with its great sporting culture, has a proud history of medal winning "Handicapped" Olympians. Amputee Oliver Halassy won two Gold Medals in Waterpolo in 1932 and 1936 and a Silver in 1928. Fencer Rejto Ildiko, a triumphant "handicapped" Icon, and winner of 7 Olympic Medals (two Gold), was still a Champion in 1999! Rejto participated in FIVE Olympics - 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976 - and won 7 medals!
 Laszlo Papp:
(b. 3/25/1926 Budapest)
A Tragic
Champion...
After winning the Olympic middleweight title in 1948
Hungary's László Papp (Papp Laci) won the light-middleweight crown
in 1952 and 1956 to become the first boxer to win three
Olympic gold medals in 1948, 1952, and 1956 (only the great Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba
could later match this feat). He also won European amateur titles in
1949 and 1951. Possibly his finest victory in the Olympic
ring came in the 1956 final when he beat José Torres
(USA), a future world professional champion. A skillful,
hard-punching southpaw, Papp was the first fighter from
the Soviet bloc allowed to turn professional and he won
the European middleweight title in 1962. He would
eventually amass 6 European Middleweight Titles
(1962-1965). However, in 1965, the communist Hungarian authorities
withdrew their permission for him to fight professionally
and the chance of a world title bout was denied him. Papp
later served as the coach of the Hungarian national boxing
team from 1971-92.
   
  
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