Pál Kovács
Encyclopedia
Pál Kovács was a Hungarian
Olympic fencer
, who began as a hurdler, but eventually switched to fencing
. He was born in Debrecen
By the time Kovács won his first gold, in 1936
, he had already been a member of the winning Hungarian team at the 1933 World Championships
. The Hungarians would go on to win team sabre gold in five successive Olympics, lasting from 1936 until 1960
. The same team won gold eight back-to-back World Championships (including the two Olympics, which double as World Championships in their respective years). Kovács also won individual gold in 1952
, as well as individual bronze in 1948
. He died in Budapest
in July 1995.
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...
Olympic fencer
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, who began as a hurdler, but eventually switched to fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. He was born in Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
By the time Kovács won his first gold, in 1936
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, he had already been a member of the winning Hungarian team at the 1933 World Championships
FIE World Championships in Fencing
The World Championships in Fencing is an annual competition organized by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime or FIE, . The world championships are, after the Olympic Games, the most prominent international competition in the sport of fencing...
. The Hungarians would go on to win team sabre gold in five successive Olympics, lasting from 1936 until 1960
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...
. The same team won gold eight back-to-back World Championships (including the two Olympics, which double as World Championships in their respective years). Kovács also won individual gold in 1952
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, as well as individual bronze in 1948
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. 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...
in July 1995.