István Rózsavölgyi (born 30 March 1929 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...

) was 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...

 athlete who competed mainly in the 1500 metres

1500 metres

The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

.

One of the star pupils of Mihály Iglói

Mihály Iglói

Mihály Iglói was a legendary Hungarian distance running coach. Iglói coached such luminaries as Sándor Iharos, István Rózsavölgyi, László Tábori, Bob Schul and Jim Beatty...

, Rózsavölgyi entered the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 held in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 as the world record holder over 1000 metres, 1500 metres and 2000 metres and was expected to be a leading contender for the 1500 metres

Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metres

These are the official results of the Men's 1.500 metres at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, with the final held on Saturday December 1, 1956. There were a total number of 37 participants from 22 nations.-Final classification:...

 Olympic gold. However, outside circumstances shook the spirit of team Hungary. Sándor Iharos

Sándor Iharos

Sándor Iharos was a Hungarian distance runner. Though unsuccessful in major competitions, Iharos ran world records over multiple distances and is one of only two athletes to have held outdoor world records over 1500 metres, 5000 metres and 10000 metres...

, another superstar, was absent. Back home, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 had just been squashed by the Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 army. Rózsavölgyi failed to even make the final.

The post-Olympic decision of Iglói and fellow 1500 m runner László Tábori

László Tábori

László Tábori is a Hungarian-American former middle- and long-distance runner, best known for equalling the 1500 metres world record and placing 4th in that event at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He is still active in the sport of running as a coach.-Early career and rise to fame:Tábori was born in...

 not to return to Hungary was further bad news for Rózsavölgyi, who instead of training with a good friend and under a phenomenally successful coach and mentor had to continue his career essentially alone. However, he coped with this situation much better than Iharos, and stayed in world class form for another Olympiad. At the 1960 Summer Olympics

1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Rózsavölgyi got a partial revenge, winning the 1500 metres bronze medal in a time faster than his 1955 world record over the distance.