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The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Hungary

This page contains a list of the greatest Hungarian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 3,059 Athletes, 79 of which were born in Hungary. This makes Hungary the birth place of the 15th most number of Athletes behind Norway and Australia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Hungarian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Hungarian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Hungarian Athletes.

1. Aladár Gerevich (1910 - 1991)

With an HPI of 58.24, Aladár Gerevich is the most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages on wikipedia.

Aladár Gerevich (16 March 1910 – 14 May 1991) was a Hungarian fencer, regarded as "the greatest Olympic swordsman ever". He won seven gold medals in sabre at six different Olympic Games.

2. Ibolya Csák (1915 - 2006)

With an HPI of 53.54, Ibolya Csák is the 2nd most famous Hungarian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Ibolya Csák (6 January 1915 – 9 February 2006) was a Hungarian athlete.

3. Rudolf Bauer (1879 - 1932)

With an HPI of 52.40, Rudolf Bauer is the 3rd most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Rezső Ignác Boldizsár "Rudolf" Bauer (2 January 1879 in Budapest – 9 November 1932 in Sósér, now part of the village Dunatetétlen) was a Hungarian athlete and the winner of the gold medal in the men's discus throw at the 1900 Summer Olympics. He won with 36.04 metres, a new Olympic record.

4. Gyula Kellner (1871 - 1940)

With an HPI of 52.07, Gyula Kellner is the 4th most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Gyula Kellner (April 11, 1871, in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary – July 28, 1940, in Szolnok, Kingdom of Hungary) was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Kellner was one of 17 athletes to start the marathon race (the first modern Olympic marathon). He finished in fourth place, but when the third-place finisher, Spiridon Belokas, was found to have covered a portion of the race by carriage, Kellner was awarded third place. His time was 3:06.35.

5. Nándor Dáni (1871 - 1949)

With an HPI of 50.18, Nándor Dáni is the 5th most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Nándor János Dáni (2 July 1871 – 30 December 1948) was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Dáni competed in the 800 metres, taking second place in his preliminary heat to advance to the final. There, he again finished behind Edwin Flack of Australia, the same runner who had beaten him in the first round. Dáni's time in the final was 2:11.8, less than a second behind Flack's 2:11.0 time. He was born and died in Budapest, Austria-Hungary.

6. Imre Földi (1938 - 2017)

With an HPI of 50.12, Imre Földi is the 6th most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Imre Földi (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈimrɛ ˈføldi]; 8 May 1938 – 23 April 2017) was a Hungarian weightlifter. Competing at a record of five Olympic Games, he won a gold medal in 1972 and silver medals in 1964 and 1968. During his career he set 21 world records, and after his retirement he coached his daughter to become a European champion. Földi earned numerous awards for his results and achievements, most notably he was named Weightlifter of the Century by the International Weightlifting Federation and was elected for Sportsperson of the Nation in Hungary.

7. Gyula Zsivótzky (1937 - 2007)

With an HPI of 50.10, Gyula Zsivótzky is the 7th most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Gyula Zsivótzky (25 February 1937 – 29 September 2007) was a Hungarian hammer thrower. He won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, silvers in 1960 and 1964, and finished fifth in 1972. Zsivótzky set two world record: one in 1965 and the other in 1968. He was twice elected as Hungarian Sportsman of the Year: in 1965, after winning at the Summer Universiade, and in 1968, for his Olympic gold medal. Zsivótzky retired in 1973 and later worked in the clothing industry. He remained involved with athletics as an administrator, becoming a member of the Hungarian Olympic Committee and vice-president of his athletic club Újpesti TE. He married Magdolna Komka, an Olympic high jumper. One of his sons is decathlete Attila Zsivoczky, the other is football player Gyula Zsivóczky Jr.Zsivótzky died from cancer in his native Budapest, aged 70.

8. Olga Gyarmati (1924 - 2013)

With an HPI of 49.05, Olga Gyarmati is the 8th most famous Hungarian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Olga Gyarmati (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈolɡɒ ˈɟɒrmɒti]; 5 October 1924 – 27 October 2013) was a Hungarian all-round track and field athlete who competed at three Olympic Games in four different events. Her greatest success was winning the inaugural Olympic Women's Long Jump competition in London in 1948. Additionally, she won two Universiade gold medals and a number of Hungarian Athletics Championships titles in sprint and jumping events.

9. Éva Székely (1927 - 2020)

With an HPI of 48.82, Éva Székely is the 9th most famous Hungarian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Éva Székely (3 April 1927 – 29 February 2020) was a Hungarian swimmer. She won the gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and the silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics, set six world records, and won 44 national titles. She held the first world record in the 400 m individual medley in 1953.

10. András Balczó (1938 - )

With an HPI of 48.65, András Balczó is the 10th most famous Hungarian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

András Balczó (born 16 August 1938) is a retired Hungarian modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1960, 1968 and 1972 Olympics in the individual and team events and won three gold and two silver medal; he missed only one medal, finishing fourth individually in 1960.Balczó was elected Hungarian Sportsman of the Year 1966, 1969 and 1972, while the pentathlon team was several times chosen as the Hungarian Team of the Year. He was awarded the title of Merited Master of Sport of the USSR in 1972, along with eight other athletes from outside USSR.He is considered one of the most successful athletes in the history of modern pentathlon. His wife Mónika Császár is a former Olympic gymnast.

People

Pantheon has 79 people classified as athletes born between 1871 and 1997. Of these 79, 35 (44.30%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living athletes include András Balczó, Zoltán Horváth, and Miklós Németh. The most famous deceased athletes include Aladár Gerevich, Ibolya Csák, and Rudolf Bauer. As of April 2022, 29 new athletes have been added to Pantheon including Gergely Kulcsár, Antal Kiss, and Gyula Török.