Ágnes Keleti, who was the world’s oldest Olympic champion, died in Budapest (Hungary) on January 2, a week before celebrating her 104th birthday. Born Ágnes Klein, she survived the Holocaust and became one of her country’s most successful Olympians, winning ten medals for Hungary in gymnastics at the Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. ‘gold. After the 1956 Olympic Games, Ágnes Keleti emigrated to Israel, where she taught physical education at the Orde Wingate Institute, and later became the coach of the Israel women’s gymnastics team. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2021, she featured alongside Sky Brown, the youngest Olympian representing Team GB in Tokyo, in What Ágnes Saw, a short film produced as part of the IOC “Stronger Together” campaign presented during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Among the many tributes paid to him made during his funeral on January 9, 2025 in Budapest, include that of the IOC President. In a message read by IOC member Balázs Fürjes, Thomas Bach said: “With the passing of Ágnes Keleti, our Olympic community has lost a luminous spirit and an inspiring champion. As we bid farewell to Ágnes, let us celebrate her extraordinary life and pay tribute to the countless ways she inspired us all. […] Ágnes has dedicated her life to gymnastics and sharing the transformative power of sport. In this regard, she once confided: “Don’t focus on winning, but put all your heart into it.” This extraordinary philosophy has guided her throughout her incredible journey, which has crossed borders and generations. From her humble beginnings in Hungary to her subsequent life in Israel, Ágnes showed us that, like the Olympic Games, life is not about the borders that divide us, but about the bonds that unite humanity in all its diversity – bonds that find their root in love, as she so aptly expressed.” Hungarian NOC President Zsolt Gyulay and IOC member Yael Arad were also present during the ceremony. More information here and on the Hungarian NOC website.
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