Agnes Keleti, the world’s oldest Olympic champion, has died at the age of 103. This Hungarian gymnast won 10 Olympic medals, including 5 gold, after surviving the Holocaust. Discover his incredible destiny…
This is sad news for the world of sport. Agnes Keleti, five-time Olympic gymnastics champion and oldest Olympic medalist in the world, died this Thursday at the age of 103 in a hospital in Budapest. A disappearance which puts an end to an extraordinary life, marked by exile, the trauma of the Shoah but also numerous sporting exploits.
An exceptional Olympic career
Born in 1921 in Budapest, Agnes Keleti had an exceptional Olympic career despite a late start. It was in fact after 30 years that she won her first medals, during the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952 then in Melbourne in 1956. In total, she won no less than 10 Olympic medals, including 5 gold, making her She is one of the most successful gymnasts in history.
But behind these exploits lies a life journey marked by the tragedies of the 20th century. Jewish, Agnes Keleti was in fact banned from competition in 1939 because of her origins. Threatened with deportation after the occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany in 1944, she owed her survival only to false papers and the help of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. His father and several members of his family were not so lucky, perishing in Auschwitz.
A symbol of the Iron Curtain
When she finally succeeded in establishing herself at the highest level in the 1950s, Agnes Keleti became one of the leading figures of Hungarian sport during the communist era. For this woman who dreamed of “seeing the world”, sport was the only way to escape the Iron Curtain and Soviet supervision.
“I did sport not because it made me feel good but to see the world”
Agnes Keleti in 2016
Ironically, it was ultimately Soviet repression that allowed Agnes Keleti to definitively realize this dream of freedom. Indeed, following the failure of the Budapest uprising in 1956, the gymnast decided like many of her compatriots not to return to the country after the Melbourne Olympic Games. Direction Israel, where she settled permanently, even becoming coach of the national team.
A symbol of hope and resilience
Throughout her life, Agnes Keleti will therefore have embodied the tormented history of 20th century Europe. But beyond the challenges she has gone through, her exceptional journey commands admiration and makes her a true symbol of hope and resilience.
Holder of the absolute record for longevity for an Olympic champion, she has proven that it is never too late to realize your dreams and achieve your goals. Even late, even after having come close to absolute horror and surviving one of the darkest pages of our history.
With her death, the world of sport, gymnastics and the Olympics loses one of its greatest ambassadors. But the memory and legacy of Agnes Keleti will never fade. On the contrary, his incredible destiny will continue to inspire future generations, as a wonderful message of hope addressed to humanity.
Rest in peace, Agnes. And thank you for this magnificent life lesson.
