Agnès Keleti, the Hungarian gymnast, who was until now the oldest champion of medal-winning athletes at the Olympic Games, died this Thursday, January 2, 2025, at the age of 103.
This is sad news that affects the world of sport, at the very beginning of the year 2025. Indeed, the Hungarian athlete Agnès Keleti died this Thursday, January 2, announced her press officer in the morning. The gymnast, who was 103 years old – and was preparing to celebrate her 104th birthday next week – passed away in a hospital in Budapest, Hungary. Famous for her impressive record, she was until now the oldest athlete to medal at the Olympic Games.
Olympic Games: Agnès Keleti, famous Hungarian gymnast, died at the age of 103
Agnès Keleti is indeed a true legend for fans of Olympic Games and was the holder of ten medals, collected during the Helsinki games in 1952 – where she won gold in floor gymnastics, as well as silver and bronze medals in disciplines such as uneven bars – , followed by the Melbourne Games in 1956. A particularly notable year for the athlete who won four gold medals in gymnastics on floor, beam, uneven bars, as well as floor by teams. She was also awarded gold at the world championships in Rome in 1954 for her performances on the uneven bars.
The incredible destiny of Hungarian gymnast Agnès Keleti
Born Budapest in 1921, Agnès Keleti was quickly noticed for her sporting skills and was called up to the Hungarian national team in 1939. But, of Jewish origin, the gymnast was excluded from the selection. During the Second World War, when her father and several of his relatives were deported and exterminated in the Auschwitz concentration camps, she managed to obtain false documents and hide in the countryside, where she continued her secret training. Having left to live in Israel, again due to the political context in Hungary, during the 1950s, Agnès Keleti only returned to settle in her native country in 2015.
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