Imre Pulai
Encyclopedia
Imre Pulai (born November 14, 1967 in Budapest
) is a Hungarian
sprint canoer
, who won two Olympic medals in the Canadian canoeing
event, including a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
with teammate Ferenc Novák
.
As a twenty year-old, Pulai reached the C-1 1000 m
final at the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
, finishing in sixth place. However, it was not until five years later
that he won the first of his four world championship gold medals - in the C-4 1000 m in Copenhagen
. In 1994
, he retained that title and a year later
, he was individual world champion, ending Ivans Klementjevs
's run of five straight victories in Duisburg
. That achievement earned him the title of 1995 Hungarian Sportsman of the Year. At the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, he won the C-1 500 m
bronze medal.
After Atlanta, his career took another dip until he teamed up with Ferenc Novák
in the C-2. In 1999
, their first season together, the pair were world silver medalists and went on to win the C-2 500 m
gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
. When the two were paired up, they became known as "The Monster and the Little Guy" because of the size differential between them (Pulai was 6' 6.5" (1.99 m) and weighed 214 lbs (97 kg) while Novák was 5' 8" (1.72 m) and weighed 170 lbs (77 kg).).
In 2003
Pulai won his fourth world championship gold in the C-4 1000 m at Gainesville, Georgia
, United States
. Most assumed that would be the final medal of his long career, but in 2006 he made a comeback at the 2006 European Championships, held in Račice
, Czech Republic, winning a C-4 500 m bronze medal. At the age of thirty-eight he was the second-oldest male competitor.
Pulai is nicknamed "Sumák".
In February 2008, Pulai met with the International Luge Federation in Berlin
to help promote luge
in his native Hungary
which Pulai started competing in 2005. At the FIL European Luge Championships 2010
in Sigulda
, he finished 34th in the men's singles event.
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...
) is a Hungarian
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...
sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
, who won two Olympic medals in the Canadian canoeing
Sprint canoe
A sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...
event, including a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
with teammate Ferenc Novák
Ferenc Novák
Ferenc Novák is a Hungarian sprint canoer who has competed from the early 1990s to 2006. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he won a gold medal in the C-2 500 m event with teammate Imre Pulai....
.
As a twenty year-old, Pulai reached the C-1 1000 m
Canoeing at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Men's C-1 1000 metres
The men's C-1 1000 metres event was an open-style, individual canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1988 Summer Olympics program.-Medallists:-Heats:Fifteen competitors were entered...
final at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, finishing in sixth place. However, it was not until five years later
1993 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1993 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark for the third time. The Danish city had hosted the event previously in 1950 and 1970....
that he won the first of his four world championship gold medals - in the C-4 1000 m in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. In 1994
1994 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1994 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mexico City, Mexico for the second time at neighboring Xochimilco. The Mexican city had hosted the event previously in 1974 at the same venue that hosted the canoeing and rowing competitions for the 1968 Summer Olympics.The men's...
, he retained that title and a year later
1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, Germany for the third time. The German city had hosted the event previously in 1979 and 1987 when it was part of West Germany....
, he was individual world champion, ending Ivans Klementjevs
Ivans Klementjevs
Ivan Klementjev is a Soviet-born Latvian politician and former sprint canoer who competed from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s. He won three Olympic medals in C-1 1000 m at the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics. The highlight was the gold medal in 1988, which he won as a competitor for the USSR...
's run of five straight victories in Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
. That achievement earned him the title of 1995 Hungarian Sportsman of the Year. At the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, he won the C-1 500 m
Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's C-1 500 metres
The men's C-1 500 metres event was an open-style, individual canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics program.-Medallists:-Heats:17 competitors were entered...
bronze medal.
After Atlanta, his career took another dip until he teamed up with Ferenc Novák
Ferenc Novák
Ferenc Novák is a Hungarian sprint canoer who has competed from the early 1990s to 2006. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he won a gold medal in the C-2 500 m event with teammate Imre Pulai....
in the C-2. In 1999
1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Milan, Italy at the Idroscalo.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events. Women competed in eight events, all kayak....
, their first season together, the pair were world silver medalists and went on to win the C-2 500 m
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's C-2 500 metres
The men's C-2 500 metres event was an open-style, pairs canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:15 teams entered in two heats...
gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. When the two were paired up, they became known as "The Monster and the Little Guy" because of the size differential between them (Pulai was 6' 6.5" (1.99 m) and weighed 214 lbs (97 kg) while Novák was 5' 8" (1.72 m) and weighed 170 lbs (77 kg).).
In 2003
2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place....
Pulai won his fourth world championship gold in the C-4 1000 m at Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Most assumed that would be the final medal of his long career, but in 2006 he made a comeback at the 2006 European Championships, held in Račice
Racice
Račice is a village in Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic. It is located 8 km northeast of Roudnice nad Labem or 41 km north of Prague and has a population of 308. It is the major rowing and flatwater canoeing venue in the Czech Republic. Račice hosted the 1993 World Rowing...
, Czech Republic, winning a C-4 500 m bronze medal. At the age of thirty-eight he was the second-oldest male competitor.
Pulai is nicknamed "Sumák".
In February 2008, Pulai met with the International Luge Federation in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to help promote luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
in his native Hungary
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...
which Pulai started competing in 2005. At the FIL European Luge Championships 2010
FIL European Luge Championships 2010
The FIL European Luge Championships 2010 took place 19 - 24 January 2010 in Sigulda, Latvia for the second time, hosting the event previously in 1996.-Festivities:...
in Sigulda
Sigulda
Other twinnings: Keila, Estonia chiatura Georgia-References:* , , , , , and -External links:*...
, he finished 34th in the men's singles event.