Aladár Gerevich
Encyclopedia
Aladár Gerevich was a fencer from Hungary
, regarded as "the greatest Olympic swordsman ever". He won medals in sabre
in six Olympics
. With Birgit Fischer
, Gerevich was one of only two athletes to do so. He is also the only athlete to win the same event six times (despite two games passed because of the Second World War). The War could not interfere with perhaps his most impressive record, however; he won gold medals in 1932 and 1960, an unprecedented 28 years apart.
Gerevich's wife, Erna Bogen (also known as Erna Bogathy), his son, Pal Gerevich
, and his father-in-law, Albert Bogen
, all received Olympic medals in fencing.
In the Hungarian Olympic trials for the 1960 Rome Olympics, the fencing committee told Gerevich that he was too old to compete. He silenced them by challenging the entire sabre team to individual matches and winning every match. He missed the finals of the 1960 Olympic individual sabre event, and a possible individual gold medal, by a single touch. He died in Budapest
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, regarded as "the greatest Olympic swordsman ever". He won medals in sabre
Sabre (fencing)
The sabre is one of the three weapons of modern sport fencing, and is alternatively spelled saber in American English. The sabre differs from the other modern fencing weapons, the épée and foil, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade; for this reason, sabreur movements and...
in six Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. With Birgit Fischer
Birgit Fischer
Birgit Fischer is a kayaker, who has won eight gold medals over six different Olympic Games, a record she shares with Aladár Gerevich, spanning seven Olympiads: twice representing East Germany , then four times representing the reunited nation...
, Gerevich was one of only two athletes to do so. He is also the only athlete to win the same event six times (despite two games passed because of the Second World War). The War could not interfere with perhaps his most impressive record, however; he won gold medals in 1932 and 1960, an unprecedented 28 years apart.
Gerevich's wife, Erna Bogen (also known as Erna Bogathy), his son, Pal Gerevich
Pál Gerevich
Pál Gerevich is a Hungarian fencer, who won two Olympic bronze medals in the team sabre competitions. Pál Gerevich won the world championships in sabre fencing in 1977 and is currently coaching the Viennese fencing club Wiener Sportclub....
, and his father-in-law, Albert Bogen
Albert Bogen
Albert Bogen was a fencer who competed for Austria at the 1912 Summer Olympics and for Hungary at the 1928 Summer Olympics....
, all received Olympic medals in fencing.
In the Hungarian Olympic trials for the 1960 Rome Olympics, the fencing committee told Gerevich that he was too old to compete. He silenced them by challenging the entire sabre team to individual matches and winning every match. He missed the finals of the 1960 Olympic individual sabre event, and a possible individual gold medal, by a single touch. He died in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
See also
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
- List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
External links
- www.olimpic.org: Aladár Gerevich with photos