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Hungarian Olympic Triumph!
by Bryan Dawson

Did you know...as of 2016, Hungary ranks 8th in the world in medals at the Summer Olympic Games despite its being torn apart after WWI and losing half her population and 2/3 of her territory. This does not include an additional 6 medals won in the Winter Olympics nor the Hungarians that won medals as nationals of other countries after borders were redrawn or after large-scale emigration.

Ferenc Kemeny, founding member of the International Olympic Committee.

The beginnings of the Olympic movement in Hungary go back further than the Games in Athens. Ferenc Kemeny, a great pacifist and member of the International Peace Bureau, was one of Pierre de Coubertin's first kindred spirits, with whom he struck up a friendship in the 1880's.

Kemeny took an active part in the Congress for the re-establishment of the Games held in Paris in 1894 and was one of the founding members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Coubertin supported Kemeny's suggestion to hold the first Olympics in Budapest in 1896 in honor of Hungary's 1000 years of statehood. While the dream of hosting an Olympics is not yet realized, Hungary has won more Olympic medals than any other nation that has never hosted the Games.

Hungary in the Olympics - Select a Year:

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COPYRIGHT:
Please ask for permission and CITE this source, attributing Bryan Dawson, before using this information.

• [Start page]
• [Ferenc Kemeny and the Origins of the Olympic Movement]
• [1896, Athens]
• [1900, Paris]
• [1904, St. Louis]

• [1906, Athens]
• [1908, London]
• [1912, Stockholm]
• [1920, Antwerp]
• [1924, Paris]
• [1928, Amsterdam]
• [1932, Los Angeles]

• [1936, Berlin]
• [1948, London]  
• [1952, Helsinki]
• [1956, Melbourne]
• [1960, Rome]
• [1964, Tokyo]
• [1968, Mexico City]

• [1972, Munich]
• [1976, Munich]
• [1980, Moscow]
• [1984, Los Angeles]
• [1988, Seoul]
• [1992, Barcelona]
• [1996, Atlanta]

• [2000, Sydney]
• [2004, Athens]
• [2008, Beijing]
• [2012, London]
• [2016, Rio de Janeiro]
  

1992 Barcelona Highlights

• Hungarian Fencing still unmatched!
  • Bence Szabo takes gold (4th Olympic Medal!)
  • Men's Épée take Silver
• Hungarian Swimmers continue to dominate!
  • Krisztina Egerszegi wins 3 more Gold Medals
  • Tamas Darnyi wins 2 more!
  • Future Gold Medalist, and world-record setter, Norbert Rozsa, takes 2 Silvers
  • Future Gold Medalist, and Olympic record setter, Attila Czene, takes Bronze
• Hungarian kayak / canoe also continues medal performance!
  • Rita Kőbán wins Gold and Silver after her Silver performance in 1988
  • Eva Donusz wins Gold and Bronze!
  • Zsolt Gyulai and the 1988 Gold-medal winning men's K4 kayakers take Silvers!
• Hungarian wrestlers repeat 1988 Gold!

Medal	Name	Event
	Krisztina Egerszegi	Swimming, Women's 100 m backstroke
	Krisztina Egerszegi	Swimming, Women's 200 m backstroke
	Krisztina Egerszegi	Swimming, Women's 400 m Individual Medley
	Tamás Darnyi	Swimming, Men's 200 m Individual Medley
	Tamás Darnyi	Swimming, Men's 200 m Individual Medley
	Kinga Czigány	Women's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 500 m
	Éva Dónusz	Women's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 500 m
	Rita Kőbán	Women's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 500 m
	Erika Mészáros	Women's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 500 m
	Attila Repka	Wrestling, Men's Greco-Roman Lightweight
	Péter Farkas	Wrestling, Men's Greco-Roman Middleweight
	Attila Ábrahám	Men's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 1000 m
	Zsolt Gyulai	Men's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 1000 m
	Ferenc Csipes	Men's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 1000 m
	László Fidel	Men's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-4 1000 m
	Zsolt Gyulai	Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-1 500 m
	Rita Kőbán	Women's Kayak Canoe / kajak-kenu K-1 500 m
	Ferenc Hegedűs	Fencing, Men's Épée Team
	Ernõ Kolczonay	Fencing, Men's Épée Team
	Iván Kovács	Fencing, Men's Épée Team
	Krisztián Kulcsár	Fencing, Men's Épée Team
	Gábor Totola	Fencing, Men's Épée Team
	Henrietta Ónodi	Gymnastics, Women's Floor Exercises
	József Csák	Judo, Men's Half Lightweight (65 kg)
	Bertalan Hajtós	Judo, Men's Lightweight (71 kg)
	Attila Mizsér	Modern Pentathlon, Men's Individual
	Norbert Rózsa	Swimming, Men's 100 m Breaststroke
	Norbert Rózsa	Swimming, Men's 200 m Breaststroke
	Tünde Szabó	Swimming, Women's 100 m Backstroke
	István "Koko" Kovács	Boxing, Men's Flyweight
	György Mizsei	Boxing, Men's Light Middleweight
	Zoltán Béres	Boxing, Men's Light Heavyweight
	György Zala	Canoeing, Men's C1 1000 m Canadian Singles
	Éva Dónusz	Canoeing, Women's K2 500 m Kayak Pairs
	Rita Kőbán	Canoeing, Women's K2 500 m Kayak Pairs
	Imre Csősz	Judo, Men's Heavyweight
	Attila Czene	Swimming, Men's 200 m Individual Medley

- Read more on [Wikipedia]
- Search all 1988 medalists (magyarul / in Hungarian)

Featured 1992 Olympians

Featured Olympian, Tamas Darnyi:
(b. 6/3/1967, Budapest, Hungary)

King of the Medley: 1st swimmer to break 2 minutes in 200m Individual Medley
The most demanding of swimming events is the individual medley, in which the swimmer must use each of four strokes. Darnyi is the greatest medley swimmer in Olympic history. When Darnyi was 15 years old, he lost the vision in his left eye as a result of being hit by an icy snowball three years earlier. Darnyi entered the 1988 Olympics as the world record holder in both the 200m and 400m medleys. In Seoul he won both races and set another world record in each. At the Barcelona Games in 1992, Darnyi successfully defended both of his Olympic titles and completed an eight-year stretch during which he was undefeated at either distance.

During a seven-year period of time in the 1980's and 1990's, Tamas Darnyi rose from the water as the world's fastest individual medley swimmer.  His father, a steel factory worker, saw a newspaper ad in the Budapest paper for swimming lessons. Darnyi was enrolled and when the six-year-old exhibited great potential he enrolled in a competitive program at the Central Sports Club coached by Tamas Szechy, the country's most successful coach.  Growing up, Darnyi trained with outstanding Szechy protégés Andras Hargitay and Zoltan Verraszto both of whom set world records in the 400m individual medley. 

- See the International Olympic Committee's Heroes

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